Creation is an Act of Sheer Will
by TheWabbajackX
Summary: Very few knew the secrets or what went on behind the curtains. Delve into how the infamous park came to be and more. Primary movie canon with elements from the novels and other JPgames. Parallels movie and Telltale game. Some facts of the real world and the movies' have been altered in this fanfiction to fill in the movies' plot holes and to make things interesting
1. Employment

Jorge Michaels felt like his life was on a road to nowhere. Life had sent him through a variety of twists and turns since he had to drop out. Before it all went downhill for him, he had been doing quite well in college as one of the top students studying in the genetics program. Of course, his best friend and college roommate had helped him a lot. However, things got bad about a year ago. A lot of it dealt with his family. His mom and dad had passed away a couple weeks before the final. Needless to say, he didn't handle it well. Through a combination of grief and alcohol, he flunked his final and was kicked out with nowhere to go. With such heavy losses on his shoulders, it was thought he would catch a break, but Stanford has no room for failure. To pay off the student loans he had accumulated, he had to sell his car and the house. Wu couldn't help him this time. Despite putting in five years of his life into the genetics field, he had more than established himself in biology. He had applied as a zookeeper for an exotic wildlife preserve in his home country of Costa Rica. He was the most qualified, and they were even kind enough to pay for his travel fare. Of course, his father's employment history at the place was the main reason they accepted him, or at least that's what Jorge thought.

The preserve wasn't too far from his apartment building, so there was no need for a car. The job payed rather well, but Jorge still had plenty of student loans to pay off. He didn't have a fancy set-up but had enough money on hand for food, water, and the bills. The young man had gone through an emotional roller coaster for a while. Jorge felt very alone, despite working back in the place he was born in. Wu was back in California studying under their old professor, Norman Atherton. His parents were gone. The legacy his father left behind as one of Costa Rica's top zoologists and his mother's work as a translator had pressured him to live up to a lot. Now, he had nothing to aspire to. Loneliness and a lack of self-worth ate at him for a while, until he reunited with Nima.

Nima Cruz and Jorge were childhood friends. His parents often visited the island of Nublar to learn of the natives as well as the wildlife. Jorge was brought along with them to learn of the culture and the wildlife. Nima ended up teaching him a lot, and the two grew close. As Jorge became older and more involved in his education, he couldn't make the trips with his father to Nublar anymore and had to go to the United States to study abroad. Regardless of the distance between them, he still kept contact with Nima. For a few years, communication between them had gone dark. It started after a company called "InGen" bought her island home and had the natives relocated. They met after Jorge moved back to Costa Rica to work at the wildlife preserve. She actually stole his wallet. She more than made up for it, after he bailed her out of jail. He had to. She was an old friend. Through a combination of childhood friendship and some physical interest, they blossomed into a strong relationship. Jorge proved to be the stability Nima needed in her life, using a lot of his money to help Nima and her daughter Atlanta. Atlanta was not Jorge's child, and Nima and Jorge were not married. Atlanta was the daughter of a man who had ended up walking out on her and Nima. It was one of the reasons Nima was so distrusting of getting involved with Jorge in the first place, but he understood her better than anyone else. Atlanta really liked Jorge and was very supportive of their relationship. They had all grown incredibly close. Nima had actually moved in with him, but Atlanta remained under the care of Nima's aunt. Jorge wasn't terribly disappointed Atlanta wouldn't be joining them. That just meant more "special nights" together with Nima. Jorge had something in him that Nima had never seen in any other man. The young Hispanic man had a drive to him, a zeal, a spark. A very compassionate and open-minded individual. He also proved to be quite charming, funny, and a really handsome. His job was successful, and he had a caring girlfriend. He had all the things at the age of 23 that most people ended up working their entire lives to achieve. From the outside, it was hard to see what made Jorge so unsatisfied with his life.

The wildlife preserve he worked at was just too simple for him. He had grown up around the native species they housed. The howler monkeys and basilisk lizards may have amused the kids and fascinated the other zookeepers, but they just didn't do it for him anymore. As much as he loved the animals, the spark of working among such exotic creatures had faded. The preserve presented to challenge to him and made him feel as though his degree had been wasted. Jorge entertained the idea of moving to a wildlife preserve in Africa or some other exotic country, but travel fare was so expensive. Africa would have been too foreign for him to adjust to, and there was no way he'd leave Nima and Atlanta behind. They were all he had now. Costa Rica was his home, and he didn't plan on permanently leaving it.

Nima was an anti-establishment activist. Jorge disapproved of unnecessary and wasteful industrial development but didn't hate the concept of capitalism like she did. Costa Rica had lost too much natural beauty, and that is something that can't be restored. Nima took a very firm stance against all industrial movements in Costa Rica, which Jorge could understand considering it was industrialism that took Nublar from her. He respected her opinion on the issue but couldn't exactly approve of the way she went along with her protesting. He couldn't go two months without a couple calls from local police. Yet, all she had to do was bat her eyelashes at him and give him an eyefull of some certain somethings, and he was putty in her hands. He'd find himself kicking himself for it later. Not for letting her go ahead with it but being suckered in so easily.

Jorge got off work early that day and had just walked in the door. He was waiting to see Nima's beautiful face.

"Honey! I'm home!" he said. He didn't get an answer. "Mi amor?" he asked. Nothing. "Dollface?" Still nothing. "Probably visiting Atlanta," he rambled to himself and proceeded to the kitchen. "I really hope she didn't eat my sub." A note was stuck to the fridge door. He put his reading glasses on and read it.

_Hey, baby. Went to visit Atlanta Be back in half an hour. Knew you wouldn't mind. P.S. Took some food from the fridge to eat. Was hungry and missed lunch._

Jorge swung the fridge door and scanned the contents of it. As he expected, no sub.

"Son of a bitch," he sighed. He sighed and went to his study. He was behind on his paperwork. Jorge had just settled into his chair when his phone rang.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Yes, may I speak to a Mister Jorge Crichton Michaels?" a voice asked. The speaker had a slight Scottish accent and spoke a bit softly.

"That would be me, sir," he answered. "May I ask who I'm speaking with?"

"How are you doing today, my good man?" the voice asked. Jorge raised an eyebrow. This was unusual, but he wasn't complaining.

"I'm fine," he replied. "A little hungry. The old ball-and-chain ate the lunch I saved," he said with a laugh. The man on the other end chuckled a bit.

"You're married then?"

"Nope," Jorge responded. "Just living together is all. You, uh, didn't answer my question, sir."

"Straight to the point," the voice stated. "I like that, but don't forget to have a little fun with people, my boy." Jorge smirked to himself. He liked this man. "I am John Hammond, CEO and founder of the bioengineering company known as International Genetic Incorporated." Jorge's eyes widened a bit. InGen was the group that bought Nima's home. What did they want with him?

"I'm well aware," he simply answered, not wanting to get into a debate.

"Well, here at InGen, we're always looking for employees that work hard and strive for more. We're especially interesting in geneticists and those specializing in animals. You were on a list of selected candidates we wanted for a... very particular job." Somebody was looking to employ HIM? He felt flattered.

"I don't mean to brag, but I know quite a bit about many types of animals. And not just living ones, mind you." He paused for a bit. Should he talk about how he failed out of passing his final? That final determined whether or not he could legally be a geneticist. He sighed to himself. So much for this opportunity. "But I'm afraid I'm not qualified in genetics."

"We know of your exam failure, Mr. Michaels," Hammond said. Jorge's eyes widened. They knew? How long had he been on this "list" of theirs? Had they been keeping tabs on him? "That is of no consequence to us. The job offer we want you to accept will allow you to practice it legally but only while you're under our management." Jorge was confused. They knew about college records yet still wanted him? And they were giving him immunity too? "We know you need this, Mr. Michaels," Hammond continued. "This job pays extremely well. Judging by your debts, you could use this." Just who the hell is this guy?

"How did my name come to your list, Mr. Hammond?" Jorge asked.

"From your old friend, Henry Wu." Jorge was blown away. So Henry was working for these guys? Well, Henry did have a keen eye for business opportunities. And all that Hammond said was true.

"When do I start?" Jorge asked.

"Next week, if you still hold an interest, you'll be taken by ship," Hammond said. "You'll be heading to an island off the coast of Costa Rica. Called "Isla Sorna" by the people." Isla Sorna? Not Nublar? Sorna was part of Los Cinco Muertes. The Five Deaths. Somebody actually bought one of those islands? How much of the coast does InGen own?

"I look forward to it, sir," Jorge said.

"As do I." Jorge hung up. So he was working for InGen now.

"Nima's gonna be pissed."


	2. One Loose End Tied Up

"I can't believe this! I can't believe you!"

"Saw that coming," Jorge muttered aside. He had just told Nima the news. Needless to say, she didn't take it well.

"You know who they were! And you accepted the job anyway!" She continued to berate him endlessly.

"I need the money," Jorge said. "It's good money. We can get your Atlanta out of the ghetto!"

"I won't take any money from those Imperialist pigs!" she spat.

"Oh, give me a break," Jorge said exasperatedly. "Cut the act, Comrade Stalin."

"You know what they did us! Kicked us out with nowhere to go!" she said.

"You can't blame them for that," he said. "They bought it fair and square from the Costa Rican government WITH, might I add, consent from your fellow islanders. YOU'RE the only one that seems to have a problem." A look of shock waved over Nima's face.

"So you're justifying what they did now?" she shouted.

"You know damn well how I felt on the matter way before I signed up with them!" Jorge was getting irritated. This was something he and her disagreed on for a while after they had started catching up. He learned not to vocalize his opinion too much, for it greatly upset Nima.

"What about all our protesting?" Nima asked. "All our work against corporations like them?"

"They were here on illegal precedents!" Jorge stated. "They were illegally doing work here, under the nose of the government! InGen is legit. I checked them out." Nima just shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't even know who you are anymore." Jorge scoffed.

"Funny, you knew me pretty well last night." He didn't want to fight with her. "I did it to help you, to help us. We'd finally get your little sis out of the sticks." Nima was shaking her head at him and turned away. "I already resigned from the wildlife preserve. I can't go back now." He was quiet for a while. "Please, Nima. You're all I have." They were both quiet for a while. Neither were sure what to say. "I'm not even working at Nublar. I'm being sent to Isla Sorna."

"So just because it's not my home makes it okay, then?" Jorge wasn't taking anymore of this.

"I don't need to deal with this," he said. "If I wanted to be criticized to death, I'd go back to college."

"As if you could." Venom dripped from Nima's voice. "Find another shoulder to cry on," she said and went for the door.

"That's real funny coming from you!" Jorge shouted down the hall. "All you did for your daughter's birthday was cry about how you felt so helpless! Remember that?" She was already out the door and gone. He stood there in his house alone. Now, he had nothing, but we wouldn't let this drag him down. Jorge went for the phone and looked at a sticky note on his desk. He had written the phone number down in order to contact them later. He dialed the number and waited. After a few seconds, a woman's voice came over the phone.

"InGen Offices: We Make the Future. How can I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Mr. John Hammond," Jorge said politely. "This is Jorge Michaels. Tell him it's urgent."

"One moment, sir," she said and put him on hold. Music played over the phone. It was a mix of tribal instruments and drum beats. He liked the sound of it. After a couple minutes, John's voice came over the phone.

"Yes. Hello, Mr. Michaels?"

"Yes, Mr. Hammond," Jorge replied. "Is there any way for me to reschedule my flight to the island?" Hammond paused for a bit.

"What do you mean, my boy?" he asked.

"It turns out I have a lot of free time on my hands now and want to see if I can head off to Sorna sooner."

"Ahh," Hammond said. Eagerness was present in his voice. "I believe we can arrange that. How soon are you wishing to leave?"

"As soon as possible," Jorge stated. Hammond was quiet for a while. Jorge heard papers being shuffled in the background.

"Tomorrow?" Hammond asked. Jorge didn't expect this so soon. It was almost 7.

"That will be perfect, sir," Jorge said. Now that there was nothing keeping him here, he wanted out immediately. He wasn't going to sit around.

"Excellent," Hammond proclaimed. "Tomorrow. 8 am. The ship will be docked at a privately owned marina. Do you have a fax machine?"

"I do."

"Excellent," he continued. "I'll have the address of our marina sent to you."

"I don't exactly have viable transportation to make it," Jorge mentioned.

"Not a problem. I can arrange for a car to pick you up. Just fax me your address. We look forward to working with you."

"I look forward to it as well, sir."

"That will be all then?" Hammond asked.

"That's correct, sir," Jorge replied.

"Very well. Have a good night and be there at 8 sharp." The phone was quiet afterwards. Jorge hung up. Now, he had to start packing.


	3. Welcome to the Team

The C-3028, also known as the S. S. Anne B, had just layed its anchor off at the south dock. Several workers, with Jorge in tow, stepped off the boat onto the wooden planks of the pier. Jorge stared out at the land around him. In front of him was a small port town. It seemed to act as a hub for imported goods from the rest of the world to this island. Around the town were a few scattered clumps of palm trees where sand stretched out to the water. Beyond the sand, a primal jungle was expanded onward. Ferns, cycads, palm trees, weeds, conifers, and a majority of other plants spanned the land. Jorge had a short sleeved khaki shirt and shorts with boots on. He had a matching brimmed safari hat to match. It was similar to the outfit he wore at the wildlife preserve back at the mainland. In fact, looking at the land around him, it was as if he never left. Jorge walked down the dock to the center of the village to look around the place.

"Wonder what's to eat here?" he asked himself. His stomach growled loudly. He didn't have time to eat breakfast and didn't bother to eat any of the food on the boat after the first time. The food gave him severe cramps the entire first day on the ship. He's been starving for two days and was dying for some food he could actually eat without having to duct tape his colon in place. Maybe a sub sandwich or some pizza.

"Hey! Mr. Michaels?" a voice called out. He turned to see a middle-aged man leaning on a gray and white Jeep. Jorge walked towards him, and the man shook his hand. "Gerry Harding. Veterinarian."

"Jorge Michaels," Jorge replied. "Geneticist and biologist." Gerry nodded at him with a smile.

"Got everything?" Gerry asked. Jorge looked down at his side and patted the suitcase that was sitting there. "Great," he said. "Load it up in the back, and we'll get going." Jorge walked to the back of the Jeep and put it in the back seat.

"So where are we headed?" Jorge asked.

"The town of Borroughs," Gerry replied. "It's where we're both staying, along with the rest of the workers." Gerry put the Jeep into first gear and proceeded on the way to the town.

"Hey, do you know what Hammond is up to here?" Jorge asked. "He was very vague about the details, and the guys on the boat wouldn't tell me anything." Gerry laughed a little.

"You don't know?" he asked. Jorge shook his head, and Gerry chuckled. "You're in for a treat." Jorge was confused and also excited.

* * *

><p>After a while of driving, the Jeep pulled up to the gate at the front of town. A worker inside a security checkpoint typed in a code onto a keypad. The doors then slid open and allowed the Jeep to drive through. They followed the road until they came to a series of buildings. Three were finished, but a few more were still being built or painted. At the end of the road was a large mansion surrounded by an iron gate. Jorge assumed that was Hammond's.<p>

"That building is where you'll be staying," Gerry said and pointed to one of the buildings. He then handed Jorge a key. "This is your key. Don't lose it. Drop your stuff off in there, and we'll head to the Operations Center." Jorge went up to the door and stuck the key into the lock. The door clicked open, and he stepped inside. The place wasn't too bad. Living room consisted of a sofa, a coffee table, a lamp, and TV. In the kitchen, he saw a fridge, a sink, and some counters. He turned right into the bedroom. It was a nice little setup. He had a large bed with moccha colored covers and pillows. A dresser sat against the back wall near the entrance to the bathroom. He plopped his suitcase onto the bed and walked to the door. Jorge shut the door behind him and locked it. He trotted over to the Jeep and climbed in the passenger seat. Gerry cruised down the road and turned left at the corner and came to the Operations Center. It was a large extravagent building with large doors at the front. An elder looking man leaning on a cane with a shiny tip. He had a smile snuggled in his white beard. Jorge climbed out of the Jeep and walked up the stairs. Gerry drove away, leaving them there. The elder man extended his hand out for Jorge, and the two shook hands. The man shook his hand firmly.

"Mr. Jorge Crichton Michaels, it's an honor to meet you," he said with a grin. "I'm John Hammond."

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Jorge said eagerly. "I look forward to seeing what you have planned here."

"Oh, and I am so eager to show you, my dear boy," John said. The two climbed up the stairs and went into the building. The lobby was adourned with lots of tribal themed decor. The marble floor had a Tyrannosaurus skeleton in a sort of fetal position endorned into the floor. There was a reception desk at the back wall with a friendly looking woman with short hair sitting behind it. She had short hair and a smile on her face.

"Hello, Mr. Hammond," she said politely. "And this must be Mr. Michaels." Jorge nodded. Gerry and this lady were really nice people. She extended her hand for him, and he shook it. "I'm Jane Powers: head of public relations here in town. You may have met me associate, Mr. Ed Regis, when you docked." Jorge had a puzzled look on his face.

"Mr. Michaels is with the genetics team, Jane," Hammond said.

"Oh, of course, Mr. Hammond," she said. "My mistake." Jorge was confused. "You see, Mr. Regis handles the labor workers. You wouldn't need to see him." Jorge nodded, understanding now. "Does he know, Mr. Hammond?" she asked. Jorge glanced at Hammond. Hammond had a twinkle in his eye.

"Not yet, my dear," he said. "But he will soon." Jane's face lit up with a smile.

"Oh, you're gonna love it, Mr. Michaels!" she exclaimed.

"Please, ma'am," Jorge said. "It's just "Jorge" if you will." He didn't like being addressed so formerly by fellow employees.

"Very well," she said. "I won't keep you here any longer. Have a lovely day!" Jane waved at them as they left. They were heading farther into the building.

"She's a very sweet girl," Hammond commented. Jorge nodded. "Very kind and so young, too. And she loves people." They were walking through a hallway when they came to an elevator. "We'll be taking this to the bottom." The doors opened, and the two stepped inside.

"Wait!" a voice called out. "Hold the door!" They kept the door open for the person. A man swung through the doors and stepped beside them. "Thank you both." He did a double take at them when he realized who he was in the elevator with. "Mr. Hammond!" he exclaimed. "And... Jorge?" Jorge grinned. It was Henry Wu, after so many years. "Jorge!" he exclaimed, and the two embraced. Hammond pressed the button for the bottom floor, and the doors closed. The elevator descended.

"Henry, it's been years, man," Jorge said with a big grin on his face. "How you been?"

"Oh, I've been great," Wu said. "How's your job been at the wildlife preserve?"

"An adventure," Jorge replied. "I love animals, and I loved working in Costa Rica. But I bet it's not as exciting as your job, Mr. MIT!"

"Hey, now," Wu said. "I may have went to MIT first, but I'm still a Stanford boy at heart."

"How's Professor Atherton?" Jorge asked. Professor Norman Atherton was the one who taught them in genetics.

"Didn't you hear?" Wu asked. "Atherton died a while ago." This news never reached Jorge.

"Really?" he asked. "Oh damn. He was a great guy."

"I know," Wu lamented. "He's the one that helped me get the job here at InGen."

"Guess in some weird way, he did the same for me," Jorge said and nudged Wu's ribs. Hammond watched the two men converse and catch up on old times. "So what are we doing here, Wu?" Jorge asked.

"I'll let Mr. Hammond tell you that," he said and looked to him. Hammond smiled and wagged his finger at Jorge.

"Ah ah ah," he said. "Not yet, you don't. I'm saving it." He was building something up fast, and Jorge was getting more and more excited by the minute to find out what he was going to see. The doors opened, and the three of them walked out. Hammond led them into a room with a bunch of terminals and computers. Several people were gathered around. "We've been waiting for you, Mr. Michaels," Hammond said. "I'd like to introduce to you the crew of Site B." Jorge was eager to meet everyone. "This is Ray Arnold: our chief engineer and administration officer." Mr. Arnold was a black man with short hair and glasses, who was dressed rather informally. His tie was undone and hung behind his neck.

"Nice to meet you," he said and shook Jorge's hand. "Glad to have you here." Jorge returned the greeting. Ray's breath smelled heavily of cigarettes.

"Here is our lead computer programmer, Dennis Nedry," Hammond said. Nedry was a large man with glasses.

"Heya. How you doin'?" he simply said and shook Jorge's hand limply. He seemed very disinterested in Jorge. He didn't mind though.

"This is the park warden, Robert Muldoon," Hammond continued to introduce. Park warden? What did they need one of those for? Muldoon was grim-faced and had blue eyes. A glorious perfectly curved grey mustache sat proudly atop his lip. He wore similar clothes to Jorge's. Instead of shaking his hand, Muldoon merely tipped his hat. Jorge tipped his hat in reply. Muldoon his a small smirk. "Here we have Dr. Laura Sorkin, chief scientist." Sorkin had glasses and blonde hair. She was a bit of an older lady with a stern face.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Michaels," she said and shook his hand. "I read your file. Wu was right to recommend you." Wu nudged him slightly. Jorge smirked at him.

"And here is Dr. Irene Corts," Hammond finished. "You will be working with her and Dr. Wu under Dr. Sorkin." Dr. Corts had a sharp face with black hair done up at the back. She had something that looked like chop sticks done up in the back of her hair. Jorge recognized it but didn't know the name for it. She looked a bit stuck up and a real by-the-book person. She seemed a lot like that snooty girl at all the office buildings that would rat a person out if they were sneaking out office supplies.

"Charmed," was all she said. Jorge raised an eyebrow to her and simply nodded. She would be a thrill to work with.

"Now," Hammond said. "Let us show you what you'll be working with." Arnold and Nedry returned to their computers. Corts left the room and headed for the labs.

"This way," Muldoon said and led Hammond, Wu, Sorkin, and Jorge down the hall. They walked for a few minutes until they came to a door that led to something that appeared to be a veterinarian's office but on a grander scale. Gerry was standing over something large lying on a table. What Jorge saw right then and there made him not believe his eyes. It was a large brown animal with a big tail and a plate covering its neck. He recognized the plate as a frill. It had a beak with a horn coming out of the top of the nose with two other horns above the eyes. Jorge recognized this animal from the picture books he read as a kid. It was a Triceratops. More specifically, a dinosaur. He fell to his knees in astonishment and became winded.

"It's... it's..." He could barely make out the words. "It's a dinosaur... a Triceratops."

"Triceratops horridus, to be exact," Sorkin commented with a smile.

"Look at it." He was in awe. He had regressed to how he was as a kid. He had loved dinosaurs so much and still retained such a love to this day. "It's so beautiful."

"I couldn't agree more," Sorkin said. Hammond was chuckling to himself. Wu smiled lightly.

"We named her "Lady Margaret". She's the first dinosaur we cloned here," Gerry said. "She's here for her monthly check-up." The Triceratops groaned softly. The animal was under anesthesia. "She's not fully grown yet." Jorge was surprised, because the animal was pretty big already. The Triceratops let out a soft call. It was such a beautiful sound to Jorge's ears.

"Can I touch her?" Jorge asked, like a child. Gerry chuckled.

"Go for it," he said smiling. Jorge's hand hovered over the dinosaur's frill, nervous to touch it. The animal's eye opened slightly. Jorge stared straight into it and got lost in the gloss. The eye was so beautiful. There was such innocence in it. His hand ran over the creature's snout. It snorted slightly but just continued to stare at him. The scales rubbed against his hand. He had felt reptilian skin before but nothing like this. The beak was so smooth, like glass. Tears were welling up in Jorge's eyes. They drifted down his cheeks and dripped onto the animals' nose. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Jorge looked up to see it was Hammond. Hammond was beaming down at him.

"This is only the beginning, my boy," Hammond said. Jorge wiped his eyes and got up. "InGen and I are creating the eight wonder of the world. Something never before seen by man." Jorge's eyes lit up. "Jurassic Park: the greatest theme park in the world. A land where dinosaurs can roam free once more, and everyone around the world can see them. Like the wildlife preserve you worked at." Jorge could see it all. It was a dream of his, to see a dinosaur zoo. He would talk about it all the time. He would draw pictures, play with his toys, and give pretend dinosaur tours to his parents. Mom and Dad played along with and indulged him. It was his wildest dream to see a living dinosaur. "Do you know how many children have dreamt of this, my boy?" Hammond asked. Jorge knew many across the world did, including himself at one age. "I want you to help make their dreams come true." This was too much for Jorge. The tears had stopped but were now coming back full-force. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had the chance to make childrens' dreams across the world come true. Make his dream come true.

"Mr. Hammond..." Jorge said slowly. He paused for a bit to catch his breath. "I would be honored to help make this dream a reality." A large grin stretched across Hammond's face. "I will do everything in my power to make this so." Wu and Sorkin were smiling. Gerry smiled as well while tending to Lady Margaret. Muldoon continued to be stoic. "But just one question..." He paused and looked back at the Triceratops, one of his favorite dinosaurs. "How did you do this?" A small smile creased Hammond's face.

"I'll show you."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Typing the final part of this chapter made me tear up a bit. I poured a lot of myself into this. The end here reflects what I've always wanted: to see a real dinosaur. Jurassic Park made that dream come true for me. As it did for many of you, I'm sure. This movie means so much to me. I wouldn't be who I am today without it. It's the reason I'm here doing what I do. But enough of that sappy stuff. You guys wanna read more. Well, there's more coming up soon. :)<strong>


	4. Cutting Corners

Hammond has let Jorge in on everything. He was going to be one of the head researchers in dinosaur cloning, working alongside Cortz, Wu, and Sorkin. Nublar was where the park would open up, but Sorna, known by InGen as Site B, was the staging operation. It was where all the work was done. They were to clone the animals on Sorna and have them shipped off to Nublar when construction on the park was finished. Security around the town of Borroughs was tight. Electric fences, concrete walls, and sniper towers circled the town. Security was particularly tight here due to it being the major base of operations on the island. There were very few major human locations on the island. The worker village and dock that Jorge had come in on was at the south end of the island. Jorge and his fellow workers were stationed at the Embryonics Administration and Laboratories complex west of Borroughs. High Point was the helicopter landing zone and airfield. There was miles of jungle between these points, and only dirt roads connected these points. A monorail system known as the Atherton Causeway was under development, linking these points together for faster travel. It was far from finished, however. Aside from these points, the island was a variety of forest, swamp, plains, coast, and mountains. Perimeters of electric fencing stretched across the landscape, presumably to keep the dinosaurs in and to keep the humans safe.

Jorge had been given the logistics of how creating the animals went. The science team received large amounts of amber from the Mano de Dios Amber Mine in the Dominican Republic. It was a problem at the beginning, with the earliest amber samples being only ten to thirty million years old. They had to dig deep deep into the earth before they finally hit the Mezosoic levels InGen had pined for. Only certain pieces of amber were sent to Site B for their use. Each piece of amber sent to them contained the remains of some blood sucking insect, mainly mosquitoes. Other samples included giant prehistoric fleas or ticks. Inside these small parasites entombed in the amber were trace amounts of dinosaur DNA extracted from when it was still alive. The science team carefully extracted the DNA from the mosquito and used it to clone their dinosaurs. However, much of the DNA they extracted was only in very minut forms due to its decomposition inside. DNA has a decomposition rate of about 500 years, which left them with very infinitesimal samples to spare. Nearly a hundred samples of every dinosaur specimen were pooled together to create one perfect genome. Others ways to extract DNA was to obtain fossil samples from dig sites around the world . Extracting the DNA did large scale damage to the fossils. They got their DNA, but they were very trace amounts. DNA samples started to flood in much quicker when InGen bought the rights to several amber mines located in incredibly cold areas of the world. The DNA samples were much more well preserved due to the low temperatures, making sample gathering much more gratifying.

Despite the influx of DNA coming in, the procedures in obtaining them was costly and not time efficient. Jorge and Sorkin insisted on this method, saying it was the only viable option of creating 100% pure dinosaurs. The InGen board of directors did not see it their way, viewing it as too costly to them. Doctor Wu suggested to the board to fill in the holes of any incomplete genomes they have with amphibian DNA. Jorge did not take kindly to the idea, but Sorkin was furious. She viewed it as playing science fiction rather than making science reality. The dinosaurs would not be true dinosaurs. Jorge agreed with her, but the board was all about the money. They cared nothing for the animals or the science. Wu's idea was put into action, and dinosaurs were being churned out quicker than with Sorkin's methods. Sorkin and Wu developed a rivalry after that point. Jorge kept to himself, not wanting to instigate anything. He did his job and carried out the orders reluctantly.

The newfound animals they cloned seemingly appeared to be normal. From the outside, there was no difference between the altered animals and the pure ones. However, the genetics team could tell the difference in a heartbeat by analyzing the genetic code. The altered specimens were more aggressive, less intelligent, and more prone to genetic instabilities, birth defects, and diseases. They also only lived half as long as the pure specimens. Sorkin continued to argue her case but got nowhere, despite her piles of data. Jorge loved all the dinosaurs but held the altered ones in slight contempt, feeling them as inferior and fakes. Pride shone from him when he examined the pure specimens. Lady Margaret was their only pure Triceratops specimen. They had one or two pure stegosaurs, about half a dozen pure dryosaurs, and a couple of others. 97% of the dinosaurs that were being produced on Site B were altered specimens with frog DNA. The other three percent constituted true pure dinosaurs. There were very noticeable behavior differences between the pure ones and the altered. Jorge felt like he needed to bring this up with Hammond. One day after finishing up at the lab, Jorge walked into the main facility to speak to Hammond. Hammond was sitting on one of the benches outside the main building, just staring at the water fountain. The two exchanged greetings, and Jorge sat down beside the eccentric old man.

"Sir, I've been meaning to discuss something with you," Jorge said.

"It has to due with the dinosaur genomes, does it not?" Hammond asked. Jorge blinked in surprise and nodded quickly. He hadn't expected Hammond to have taken this into consideration. "I'm well aware, my boy." He patted him on his shoulder. "Doctor Sorkin has brought it up endlessly with me but does not understand. I bet you do, though." Jorge sighed and was silent for a bit.

"Afraid I do not, sir," he admitted. Hammond nodded.

"We only use these altered dinosaurs because it's cost effective and time efficient," he began. "I'm well aware of the problems with them."

"Then you know why we need to be cloning pure ones instead," Jorge said. Hammond held a hand up.

"I want pure specimens just as much as you do, my boy," Hammond said. "I want the purest, realest dinosaurs there are. However, we're on a tight schedule at the moment. We can't afford to take our time right now. Right now, though."

"What are you saying?" Jorge asked. Hammond smiled and nodded.

"We're only having these impure specimens made to be placeholders at Isla Nublar," he continued. "After our guests have seen what we have to offer, we'll swap the impure animals with 100% pure ones." Jorge thought about this for a second and nodded slowly.

"I get it," Jorge said. "These altered dinosaurs are just stand-ins for the real thing."

"Precisely, my boy!" Hammond said with a wide grin. "Once the board has seen that Jurassic Park is ready for launch, then we can abandon this foul practice with frog DNA and focus on creating 100% pure dinosaurs." Jorge smiled and nodded. "The board wants animals on that island fast. We don't have enough time to clone all pure animals for the park. One of the few pure dinosaurs we had was our own Lady Margaret. She is to be shipped to Nublar in a couple weeks."

"At some point in time, we'll have to start cloning pure ones," Jorge noted. Hammond nodded.

"They only want quick specimens for the park," he said. "You get to work on giving them what they want, and I'll fund your efforts to make pure ones."

"Where will we keep the pure specimens?" Jorge asked.

"Here, of course!" Hammond said and held his arms out wide. "There isn't enough adequate building space on Nublar for full fledged cloning facilities. Otherwise, we would have the time to make the pure animals. You know how the system works. The minute the quick ones are old enough to survive on their own outside the nursery, they're sent to Nublar. Lady Margaret was given full range of what Site B's landscape had to offer."

"So the team gets to create pure animals and let them roam here while the impure ones warm up their paddocks on Nublar," Jorge said. Hammond nodded. "We clone and raise them here until the park gets the go-ahead from the board that this thing will work. Then, we swap the animals on Nublar for the real pure thing."

"Now, you've got it," Hammond said, patting the boy on the chest. Jorge had to say it aloud to himself several times to grasp it. He shook Hammond's hand firmly and got up from the bench. He was heading to his house to rest. A smile stretched across his face. They would get the pure dinosaurs after all. A few details still spun in his head, though. The adjustments made to Nublar to suit the false animals would not necessarily match up for the real thing. The two have completely different genetic codes, health scenarios, and behavior patterns. Plus, what would happen to the impure ones? As much as he held them in contempt, they were still animals. He wouldn't let InGen just throw them away, despite them not being the real deal. Regardless, he felt pride swell within him. He would finally get to work on creating real dinosaurs, not these spliced with frog DNA ones. Sorkin would be pleased to hear the news.


	5. Always Something

From day one, Jorge had settled right in and tackled the challenges of making Jurassic Park a reality. He worked with an almost mythical like quality, something that impressed his fellow scientists. Wu and Sorkin held him in high regard. Cortz did as well but would never admit it. She kept quiet and to the shadows, in typical fashion. It had four years since he joined the team, and the park on Nublar was mostly completed. The main facilities on Nublar were nearly finished, with only a few minor details still in the process of being worked out. Several attractions were still in the works, such as the Pteratops Lounge had hit a snag. The lounge was being built inside the Nublar Aviary where the resident pterosaurs would reside. Management, specifically Hammond, thought it would be safe for the tourists to interact with the animals inside the bird cage due to the pterosaurs' steady diet of fish. The bird cage was shared by two species of pterosaurs: Cearadactylus and Pteranodon. The two animals had not been pre-exposed to one another on Sorna. There was no time for it. InGen was running on a tight schedule, and much of the science team's warnings were ignored. Against Jorge's advice, the two species of pterosaur were introduced into the aviary. The results were incredibly unsatisfactory. The animals proved to be fiercely territorial, not just amongst themselves but against the workers within the aviary. The lodge was eventually abandoned, and monitoring the pterosaurs grew difficult. Members of both species of animal spent much time in the medical ward being tended to.

Another snag in the tourist attraction development cycle was the hitch in the Jurassic River Ride. The ride was located along the riverways that ran through the island and would span several paddocks, including the aviary. The pterosaur incident was one of two major issues with the ride. The second issue was that the majority of the river ran through the dilophosaur paddock. Shortly after the animal was cloned, it surprised the science team. Contradicting the fossil evidence presented to them, the animal was an active hunter and not a scavenger. Jorge was not all that surprised. He was aware that paleontology was educated guesswork, regardless of what anybody said. The big surprise was the fact that the animal was capable of producing a paralytic blinding venom. The animals spat a black gooey substance that was incredibly painful. It was also capable of injecting it into the bloodstream of its victims via biting them, similar to how snakes do. The venom was found to consist of several different enzymes and was also both neurotoxic and hemotoxic. Spitting range varied from twenty to fifty feet, depending on the size of the animal. The animal was also equipped with a large webby frill that clung to its neck and extended when threatened or aggravated, similar to that of a frilled lizard. The surprise the dinosaur brought was once again a result of InGen's tight scheduling. To accommodate the animals, Jorge recommended building a walled in glass paddock. However, that would require scrapping some of the design specs already in place and starting over. The board discarded his recommendation and instead had the dinosaurs relocated to a rather poorly constructed paddock near the East Dock.

As the park got closer to the first big inspection when the park would get the clearance to open, Hammond began to listen to his science team less and less. The consequences of Wu's decision to use amphibian DNA to substitute the incomplete genomes had caught up to him. The labs were open twice as long as they were before, and the science team was always working. There was a large list of dinosaurs they needed for Nublar. Trouble was striking the animals. The Tyrannosaurus had skin issues, which forced the creature to confine itself to the canopy in its paddock. The Velociraptors were incredibly aggressive, particularly towards their human captors. During an incident where Muldoon was moving the prime raptor specimen, named "the Big One" by the team, the animal horribly mauled a maintenance worker named Jophery. He had been airlifted to the mainland for medical treatment due to Nublar lacking proper facilities to treat humans. Jorge had not found out if he survived his injuries. Dryosaurs that were housed on Nublar kept dying from some genetic abberation in their code that prevented them from retaining water. The triceratops and stegosaurs had severe cases of diarrhea and tongue blisters. The two animals had their own individual problems as well, like the triceratops had severe vision problems and the stegosaurs had lung development problems. A shy T-Rex, vicious raptors and birds, asthmatic stegosaurs, and triceratops with cramps. These incidents were all linked back to the same issue: the incomplete patched genomes.

Lady Margaret was the healthiest animal on the island and had only displayed health problems once. Back on Site B, she had only two small cases of diarrhea, and they cleared up quickly. Jorge and Sorkin endlessly debated this issue with Hammond, but he kept waving their concerns away saying the animals will be replaced in due time. Sorna was growing in its population of pureblood dinosaurs. However, their growth rates were five times slower than that of the amphibian blooded ones. Those ones could be grown to juvenile status in a few months and be ready for transport a week after. The purebloods were growing at their natural rate and settling in nicely. Hammond had plans to eventually replace all the dinosaurs with impure codes on Nublar with the purebloods growing on Sorna, but this would not be for a while. The park was not slated to open until 1994, but he wanted to acclimatize his facilities by testing them with Nublar's supply.

Nublar's animals were given accelerated growth hormone to grow, which Jorge and Sorkin did not agree with. They wanted these animals to grow naturally, like Lady Margaret. However, due to time constraints and their own personal desires to see how effective the hormone was, they agreed. The amphibian blooded dinosaurs were given large amounts of the hormone, but the purebloods were left unhampered.

The spliced coded dinosaurs had more genetic problems than were previously realized. They were incredibly vulnerable to the disease known as "DX" or "prion disease". DX was a modified case of mad cow disease. Brain tissue deteriorates but only to a specific point. It damages parts of the brain responsible for the regulation of testosterone and other hormones. As a result, the animal grows to be incredibly aggressive. The disease first found its way on Site B in the form of contaminated sheep extract. The sheep milk the animals injested infected prions within the body. When excreted, it would permeate in the fecal waste of the animal. The Compsognathus present on Sorna would eat the feces, a more efficient alternative of having the workers dispose of the waste every so often. They carried the disease and were then consumed by other carnivores, such as Dilophosaurus, Velociraptor, Pteranodon, and Herrerrasaurus. A minor temporary outbreak spread on Site B that was taken care of quickly and efficiently. However, the scenario had resurfaced on Nublar and was heavier than on Sorna. The animals were in much worse health and were twice as aggressive. The animals were currently being treated on the island. It was not just that the spliced coded animals were more susceptable to the disease but could not build an immunity to it. When the purebloods were cured, they were given regular doses of specially selected vitamins to build up their immune systems. It strengthened their systems and were no longer susceptable to the disease. The spliced coded dinosaurs' immune systems were so weak, they couldn't retain the vitamins for more than a couple hours. The disease had been eradicated from both islands, but they were still vulnerable to it. If it struck again, they would have their hands full.

One thing both types of animals shared equally was the lysine contingency. Wu had genetically altered the animals' DNA so that they were naturally dependent upon InGen's (patented) lysine supplements. Typically, it was just referred to as preventing the animals' production of lysine, but only the scientists knew the actual details. Sorkin heavily disapproved of the contingency, calling it a cruel act against the creatures. Jorge didn't exactly hold it in high regard either, but he saw the necesity in it. The lysine contingency further divided Sorkin and Wu. Jorge preferred to stay out of it, but Doctor Cortz had become very involved. Cortz was an avid supporter of Wu and his ideas. She had become Wu's personal assistant due to her loyalty.. Jorge always figured her for the brown nosing type.

Jorge was on his break and was looking out past the fence at the dinosaurs in the distance. All of the dinosaurs Hammond wanted were present on Nublar, except they were all spliced specimens. Sorna's population of animals was 100% pureblood now that Hammond had started backing him. Any spliced coded animals Hammond needed were raised away from the others and then immediately shipped to Nublar. Jorge did not understand why Hammond still needed these pseudoanimals when they had the real thing here, ready for action. However, the fact was that they were not ready for action. The purebloods were still very young in their maturation cycle. None of them were even close to reaching adulthood, while the majority of the spliced coded creatures on Nublar were on the cusp of adulthood. Lady Margaret was close to being a full grown adult, the only pureblood even close to adulthood. Jorge rubbed his forehead softly. Thinking about all this gave him a headache. He felt like his talents weren't being put to use where they needed to be: Nublar. He had made tons of pureblood dinosaurs, the only real dinosaurs to come out of Site B. Yet, Hammond didn't want them yet. He felt he was just spinning his wheels here. Regardless, Jorge still felt a vigor within him when he stared out at the Mesozoic titans silhouetted against the blue sky. It reminded of him why he was here. Hammond and the board may have been losing their patience with them, but Jorge was just as patient as ever. He would be here for his dinosaurs, no matter how much time and money it took.


	6. Catching Up

Jorge sat in front of the main building in the center of Borroughs. He was off duty after a rather slow day at the laboratories. It was late in the day, and the sun was low in the sky. The small town was bathed in an orange light. Jorge munched on a sandwich he had picked up from the deli and rested on a bench. A small chirping sound reached his ears. He looked around him but saw nothing. The chirping sounded off again, and he looked down to his feet. Standing in front of him was a small scrawny green dinosaur, a Compsognathus. It just stared up at him with its big brown eyes. Jorge smiled at the little chirping lizard and plucked a piece of ham from his sandwich. The scientist dangled it in front of the animal's face. It cocked its head to the side and merely stared at the meat in bewilderment. After a minute of watching the meat, it snatched it from Jorge's fingers and nibbled on it.

"No feeding the animals," a voice said. Jorge looked over his shoulder to see Gerry Harding standing over him and smirking at him. Jorge snorted and shook his head.

"He could use a little meat on his bones," he said with a chuckle. The compy sneezed and scampered off into the grass. Gerry was holding a sandwich in his hand and was munching on it.

"Mind if I join you?" he said. Jorge patted down on the bench and scooted over. Gerry plopped down beside him and munched on the sandwich. "You think it's a good idea to let the compys run free?" Jorge shrugged and swallowed a mouth full of ham. Hammond was much more lenient with the compys that he was with any other dinosaur. He must have figured that due to them being so small, they would not present much trouble. As such, they were given free roam of the place to go where they wanted. They were such minuscule animals and didn't really bother anyone.

"Hammond says it's fine," he said. "The animals aren't able to breed yet. Haven't reached that level of maturity where hormones and reproductive systems kick in."

"Well, I know that," Gerry said. "I'm the chief vet, after all. But what happens when these animals do get old enough to breed?" Jorge shrugged again. Gerry shook his head, not liking that answer. "I'm just worried about population control is all. We should've kept all the animals female, so as not to have to worry about this problem." Jorge patted the man on his shoulder.

"You worry too much," Jorge said to him. "Besides, this is a great opportunity for us. Very little is known about dinosaur mating habits."

"Very little is known about dinosaurs period," Gerry said with a laugh. Jorge snorted.

"Ain't that the truth," he said. "As I was saying, this would be a valuable opportunity to learn about these animals. We're learning things about these animals that will boggle the minds of people everywhere. Besides, it's more cost effective to let them breed. We keep the numbers up without having to spend money on cloning them."

"True," Gerry said. "Good thing Sorna is so big to accommodate breeding."

"That's why Hammond wanted females only on Nublar," Jorge replied. "They don't have the space or ample facilities to deal with breeding animals."

"Why didn't he just wait for the purebloods to grow up?" Gerry asked. Jorge shook his head, not rightly knowing himself even though Hammond explained it dozens of times before.

"They take too long to grow up," he answered. "Hammond wants adults dinosaurs, fresh out the box. The spliced ones grow faster due to the hormones we give them, but they just come with so many health problems."

"Plus, they're not exactly the real thing," Gerry added. "The velociraptors don't match up to the fossil records and data we've received."

"Velociraptor antirrhopus," Jorge said. "Scientists are debating whether or not it's its own species of velociraptor or a new dinosaur that they have called "Deinonychus". From what we've gathered from medical examinations and initial studies both in the labs and out in the field, they are a different velociraptor species and not this deinonychus."

"Bet scientists will be pissed at us crushing their theories, won't they?" Gerry teased, nudging Jorge's ribs. "No deinonychus for them." Jorge chuckled at him and shook his head.

"Sorkin was more surprised than anything else," Jorge said. "She was convinced they were two different animals. She was more pissed off about how the raptor specimens cloned for Nublar lacked feathers."

"Genetic mutation from the amphibian DNA, I bet," Gerry said. Jorge nodded at him.

"Exactly," he replied. "Sorkin would have made more of a fuss about it but was more obssessed over our discovery."

"About the two different genetic offshoots of antirrhopus?" Gerry asked.

"Bingo," Jorge answered. "We had to be very careful when distilling and sorting the DNA. Otherwise, we risked making some sort of mutant. Once we managed to be able to differentiate between the offshoots, we organized the genetic codes and had the two breeds."

"Jungle and grassland," Gerry said. The animals were distinguished by their preference in territory. The offshoot the scientists call "Nublarensis" can be identified by the sexual dimorphism. The males are orange with stripes and the females are a mottled brown. These ones took to the tall grassy plains of te island. They were identified as "Nublarensis" on the account that they would go to Nublar first.

Sornaensis can be identified by their females with the black and white females and the purple males. They preferred the more shaded and tropical regions of the island.

"TThe raptors are molting now."

"I've heard," Jorge said. "Losing their pristine feathers. Male Nublarensis have the most beautiful feathers. Golden feathers with red plumage on the arms and around the head."

"You think the females would be more colorful, but all they get is that downy brown fluff." Jorge laughed at this. What he said was true. "The jungle ones get those weird quill-like fixtures instead of feathers."

"Which is weird, because the females get the downy fluff, but the males become large carnivorous porcupines."

"Any idea why that is?" Gerry asked. Jorge shrugged. These animals were still enigmas, despite having them right there. A lot of techniques that were used to study living animals in the wild weren't as effective with dinosaurs. For them, they had to get creative. "I'm just glad they're not breeding yet. Can you imagine?"

"Muldoon hates the raptors," Jorge commented. "Feels they should all be destroyed."

"That incident on Nublar was the result of the genetic mutations, not the ones here," Gerry said. "He can't blame them for that."

"But he does," Jorge continued. "I can see why though. Hard to differentiate when you don't know what we know. Ray doesn't like the idea of the raptors breeding either. He's scared to death."

"Can't blame him," Gerry said. "Those animals are scary."

"They're just like wolves," Jorge said. "Despite the nature of what makes wolves scary, they're still beautiful creatures."

"True," Gerry admitted. "Still, I can't help but feel a little threatened."

"Muldoon says that's good for you," Jorge commented. "Feeling threatened incites caution. You're wary of the animals. He's got a point, I'll admit. These are wild animals and need to be treated with caution." The two chewed on their sandwiches for a little while before continuing their conversation. "It's been a while since we've been able to shoot the breeze, Gerry. As much as I love my job and the dinosaurs, I'd love to talk about something different for once. How have things been with you?"

"They've been good," Gerry said. "Got back from shore leave last week."

"How'd that go for you?" Jorge asked.

"It was fine," he said. "Got to see the wife and Jess."

"They alright?" Gerry sighed.

"Jess got in trouble," he said. "Was caught shoplifting." Jorge shook his head. "Her mom and I weren't too happy with that. I just don't understand it. I thought I had raised her right."

"You can't blame yourself for it, Gerry," Jorge said and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She's a teenager. It's one of those phases they go through where they're discovering their independence. Trying to grow up, you know?"

"I guess so," Gerry said. "I just wish she would stop trying to grow up so fast." Jorge smiled softly at him and patted his shoulder.

"That's the thing about kids," he said. "We want to grow up fast and be adults. But then we get there, and we wanna be kids again." Jorge and Gerry laughed to themselves at this.

"That's so true," Gerry said. "Things have been tough on her since the divorce."

"Shit happens, my man," Jorge said. "It's hard for kids to understand, but as they get older, it becomes easier."

"I know," Gerry sighed. "Just doesn't get easier for me though."

"Never is," Jorge replied. "It's not what happens that matters. It's how you pick yourself up and carry onwards. She still love you. That's what matters."

"You may be right," Gerry said, looking up at the falling sun. "Have I mentioned Sarah any?"

"You talked about her a few times," Jorge answered. "Working as an animal behaviorist over in Africa. Also a behavior paleontologist, if I remember."

"That's correct," Gerry replied. "She grew her hair out since the last time I saw her. I tell you about how she cut her hair real short and died it black?"

"She's a redhead again," Jorge said. "How has she been?"

"Good, actually," Gerry answered. "Handling things better than Jess, but that's probably because she's out of the house and more mature now. She had heard I was on leave and decided to take time off work to visit. We all went to dinner. Me, her, Jess, and the exes. We were able to put things aside for the sake of the kids. We all had a good time. Talked to one another. Caught up on old times and what was new. Sarah has quite the sense of humor. It was great." A smile creased Gerry's face as he stared up at the clouds. Jorge sat there in silence, letting Gerry wander in his thoughts. It must have been nice to have such great memories to get lost in. Jorge used to have memories like that, with his brother when they were younger. Those times are behind him now. Too much has happened since then to draw any comfort from those memories. For a while, Nima was all he had. Now that she left him, Jorge really had nothing. All he had was his dinosaurs. They brought him a peace, a stability, an equilibrium. Gerry looked down at his watch. "I should be going. Muldoon and I are headed on patrol in a bit. It was good catching up with you, Jorge. We should do this again sometime." He and Jorge shook hands firmly.

"Agreed," he replied, and the two went their separate ways. Jorge walked down the sidewalk, headed for his house. It was a slow day but a long one. He and Gerry were good friends. It was nice to catch up with him. The sun peaked over the treeline, bathing his bath in a slowly fading aura of orange. Jorge looked up at the clouds and saw some pelicans drift over the town, flying towards the shore. They had a bit of a flight ahead of them but didn't seem to be in a hurry. At times, Jorge was jealous of the animals. They had everything right there before them and didn't have a care in the world. That was the life he wanted. Regardless, Jorge was content with his work on the island and with the dinosaurs. At times, he would wake up and think it was all a dream. Reality never disappointed him though. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel so empty. He felt so full of life and energy, thankful to wake up every day and do his job. The promise he had made to his brother had been fulfilled. He had kept his word.

Jorge walked up the four steps to his house and slid the key into the hole. With a turn and a click, the door opened. The tired scientist stepped inside and shut the door behind him, locking it. While untying his shoes, he noticed a letter on the floor. He picked it up and walked over to his bed. Jorge hadn't been expecting mail. He was surprised at the address on the front of the envelope. It was the address of his old apartment. Perhaps it was from Nima. Eager to read it, Jorge tore the envelope open and pulled out a letter. He unfolded it, and his eyes scanned the paper.

"_Jorge,_

_ I never got the chance to say goodbye to you. I went back for you earlier the day you left. You weren't there. So much has happened. I guess neither of us is sure who we are anymore. Atlanta is a bit cross with me for being so hard on you. She's a lot like you. You left the apartment for me when you could have just turned in the key and left me out to dry. But you didn't. You never held a grudge against anyone. That's one of the reasons I care about you so much. I wish I was more patient with you before you left. After we argued, I stormed out of the apartment and hung around the preserve where you used to work. Atlanta and I go there all the time now. It reminds us of you. We've been spending a lot of time together. We've bonded, gotten real close. She misses you terribly though. And so do I. You were always so patient with me, even when we were little kids. I was never patient with you, especially when you most needed me. The truth is that you are all me and Atlanta have. I don't agree with your work for InGen, but you're not them. I hope you can change InGen. Make them better than what they were when they took my home from me. I don't know whether or not you're mad at me for what I did to you or even if you're reading this. I wouldn't blame you if you tore this up and threw it away the minute you saw it. But if you are reading this, know that I really do care about you. Me and Atlanta both do. Perhaps some point in the future, when you're not doing whatever it is you're doing out there, you can come visit us. We could go out to dinner, spend some time. I would like to see you again. I really miss you._

_ Su novia_

_ -Nima_

_PS: Something to keep you warm at night, mi amor."_

A smile stretched across Jorge's face. When Nima walked out on him, he thought she would never speak to him again. Now, he knew she really did care. When he left, he left the apartment open and in her name so she would have a place to stay. He couldn't just leave her out on the streets. He was too good for that. He still loved her, no matter what she did or said. And she still cared for him too. A picture had slipped out of the envelope and fallen on the floor. Jorge picked it up and looked at it. The minute his eyes made contact with it, they nearly leapt from his skull. The picture was a very sexy photo of Nima. She was winking into the camera and covering her body with a black sheet of fabric. She was leaning towards the camera, showing off a large amount of cleavage. Jorge had to admit she had quite the curvaceous body. Nima knew it too and would exploit it to get Jorge to do what she wanted. When she showed off that not too modest bosom, he was putty in her hands. He chuckled to himself and shook his head.

"Ooh, you tease."


	7. Moving Day

The staff of Sorna were scuffling every which way. It was two months before the big debut of the park to Hammond's guests, and routines were changing. During the final preparations for the park, many staff members went back and forth between the islands. Muldoon was always on the move. Nedry and Arnold had taken up long-term work quarters on Nublar. Hammond was to move Wu, Sorkin, Gerry, Regis, and Jorge to Nublar in two hours and have them climatized to Nublar. Jane Powers, Dr. Corts, and many of the non-essential staff were to stay behind on Sorna to watch over things. The park was to be given its first official test run on June 11th. Paleontological experts were personally invited by Hammond to see it. They would stay over the weekend and give their recommendations. Jorge was excited to see their reactions. He hadn't had a chance to see the park for himself. Hammond had told him much about it, like the Safari Adventure tour that spanned the entire island. Jorge loved safaris. Despite his excitement, he felt a bit of apprehension. Jorge had little experience in dealing with the spliced dinosaurs, familiar only with his own pure creations. He would be leaving his animals here on Sorna and would not see them for a week. The young man had confidence in Corts and the rest of the remaining science team's abilities in watching over the animals, but he felt they would be safer were he there for them. Hammond insisted upon his being there, and he wouldn't argue with his boss. Hammond hadn't been spending that much time on Sorna, focused very intently on the park. Jorge was curious in what held Hammond there.

Jorge locked the door to his house and threw his suitcase in the back of Gerry's jeep. He climbed into the passenger's seat, and Gerry gunned it for the docks.

"Why do you think Hammond wants us on Nublar so early?" Jorge asked.

"No clue," Gerry replied. "Probably to help him with polishing up the island. You know how he is. Wants this thing perfect."

"But with all the automated technology Nedry programmed, there should be no need for so much staff," Jorge said. "He's taking everyone. He shouldn't need all of us. Why drain Site B of most of its crew?"

"Beats me," the veterinarian answered. "He's never been this uptight. He's usually so casual with it all, not like I'm complaining. It's about time he took this more seriously." Jorge laughed to himself.

"Sorkin was pissed off when she got the news. We'd only been briefed like two days ago, and she's been scrambling to pack up everything in her lab nonstop. The new guy's been stuck playing her assistant."

"Who's the new guy again?"

"David Banks. Fresh off of his internment." Jorge was a bit unsure on David at first. The big day was not far off, and Hammond decided to add someone new. It was so sudden and unexpected. Hammond had not bothered to inform the rest of the scientists until after he arrived. Sorkin had taken him under his wing, and the two formed a bit of a student and teacher complex. "You been to Nublar, Gerry?"

"Not long enough to memorize the layout," he replied. "You'll enjoy it there. The architecture and scenery are really nice."

"Lady Margaret doing okay?" Jorge asked.

"She's doing great. She's become the alpha of the Triceratops herd we have up there."

"She always was the leader type," Jorge said, and the two laughed to each other.

* * *

><p>The Jeep was parked beyond the port town, and Gerry and Jorge were meeting up with the others on the boat. The S. S. Anne A, the same boat Jorge had come here on, was ready to shove off. Hammond was staring over the edge of the boat, looking over the island. Gerry headed below deck to his quarters. Jorge stood beside Hammond and peered out over the landscape.<p>

"We won't be here for a while," Hammond noted. Jorge nodded. "Hope you don't get homesick." The elderly man wheezed a laugh and turned away. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay on Nublar. We'll need your assistance in readying it for its unveiling to our guests."

"How is your "project" coming along, sir?" Jorge asked.

"It's completed," the old man replied with a smile. "You'll be so proud at what you and Wu helped accomplish. Sorkin is unaware still, I hope."

"She has no clue, sir, but do you really think it was a good idea to keep it a secret from her?" Hammond waved a hand at him.

"Sorkin is too preoccupied with the animals on Nublar. She doesn't understand like you do that they are merely here to test the island out for the real deal. Plus, she continues to agitate the fact that we will dispose of the animals afterwards."

"I thought she'd be more supportive of replacing them with the pure specimens," Jorge noted. Hammond nodded in agreement.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "I've had a laboratory built in the northern part of the island for her to study the animals in the field. She'll be close enough to her animals and will be out of your's and Wu's hair."

"I suppose so," Jorge said. He didn't like keeping Sorkin in the dark. The two of them were co-workers and both shared a compassion for the animals. Jorge couldn't afford to play sides though. The board of directors was close to doing away with Sorkin, and Jorge couldn't let that happen to him. These dinosaurs were all he had. Hopefully, Sorkin will be too preoccupied with her research on Species IG74726f6f646f6e to give him any trouble over it. Hammond and Jorge continued to discuss Nublar while Sorkin and David handled their precious cargo below deck. Sorkin had her "project" situated in a cargo shaft away from the other cargo brought onboard. Somewhere dry but not too hot. The lighting in the cargo shaft was very specific. She had a small desk set up with her laptop perched on it. Sorkin poured over the eggs being kept in a special incubator hooked up to the wall. Endless questions poured from her to David.

"The eggs are the right temperature, correct? There are enough nutrients in the incubator to keep them sated, right? How are the eggs arranged? Avoid shell to shell contact. It could affect the fetuses."

"Doctor, please," David said, at his wits end. Sorkin took a deep breath and loosened up.

"You're right, David," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I just want the specimens to be safe for transport. Damn Hammond for such short notice!" She and David stood over the incubator, staring down at the dozen eggs cradled within. "Despite this clutch being composed of amphibian DNA, I'm still incredibly excited to see how they look. I just wish I could stay to see the pure batch come." During Jorge's private research project, Sorkin had grown suspicious of him. To keep her from inquiring, Hammond has a specially imported amber sample brought to her specifically. It contained a DNA sample that was not in the InGen records. It was a new dinosaur, and Sorkin would be responsible for its conception. The first batch, composed of amphibian DNA, was to be shipped to Nublar. The second batch, made from 100% pure DNA of this mystery animal, was to remain on Sorna and watched over by Doctor Corts. Sorkin wanted to be there to see the animals hatch but wanted to see how Hammond was handling the park and the animals it held. She felt excitement within her as the boat began to drift from port. This would be the first time anyone would see this dinosaur, and she brought it back all on her own. Pride gushed within her.

The sensors on the computers were alive with tiny pulses, representing the heartbeats that resonated within the eggshells. From her research data, she had not gathered much. All she was able to tell from scanning the DNA extracted from the amber was that the dinosaur would be carnivorous and shared some genetic qualities with Compsognathus and Velociraptor. The traces were faint but there in the genetic code. The rest of the DNA was very different from any other animals on the island. The code was very advanced for dinosaur DNA. Whatever animal this was, it was very advanced. A unique species that showed high amounts of evolutionary change within the genetic code. It would be a sight to see.


	8. Bad for Business

Sorkin was called to the meeting room. Hammond had wanted to speak to her on the matter of her little personal project. Wu, Jorge, and Muldoon were in the meeting room, waiting with Hammond. The clutch of eggs had hatched and grown rapidly in the three weeks since they had all been transferred to Nublar. The species of dinosaur that hatched from the eggs was incredibly fascinating but an enormous trouble to the island. Sorkin burst through the double doors, clutching a huge file in her arm. She plopped it on the desk and spread some papers out, presenting her findings.

"We need to discuss the nature of this new dinosaur specimen you've brought about," Hammond told her as she situated herself.

"Troodon pectinodon," Sorkin said, identifying her creation. "I assume you wish to discuss what problems the animals have brought instead of how fascinating they are." Since the eggs hatched, Sorkin poured herself over the tiny carnivorous reptiles. They were unlike any of the other animals she had been exposed to while working for InGen.

"These animals are trouble," Muldoon interjected. "Moreso than the raptors."

"They're wild animals, Mr. Muldoon," she said a bit condescendingly to the Englishman. "Wild animals do unexpected things."

"That still doesn't justify your handling of these animals," Wu said, offering his two cents to the conversation. Sorkin had made herself the official overseer of anything to do with the Troodon. Her interests in the animals and anything involving them have been purely scientific. She had neglected the safety issues these animals have brought upon Jurassic Park. "You had no idea how these animals would behave when you cloned them." Sorkin pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"With all due respect, Doctor Wu, none of us knew how any of the animals on Nublar or Sorna would behave. Paleontologists have no way of knowing how these animals behave. Their knowledge and insight into the creatures is studying their skeletal structure and cross referencing them with current living species to determine their niche in the environment. They don't even know what they sound or look like. The closest we have to a dinosaur expert is our own Doctor Michaels."

"I wouldn't say "expert" exactly," Jorge said. "I've just read a ton of books on the animals since childhood and have gone off from those."

"Exactly," Sorkin said. "These animals do not behave word-by-word how the paleontologists portray them as. We know more about them in our few years of studying them than paleontological experts have since the 19th Century."

"Regardless of what is and is not known about these creatures, Doctor Sorkin, these animals are very dangerous," Hammond told her.

"No more dangerous than our Velociraptors," Sorkin said.

"Not true," Muldoon interrupted. "Much more dangerous. They have more numbers than the raptors."

"Only because the raptors killed themselves off," Sorkin scoffed. After the incident with the Big One, the raptors were more difficult to handle. The Big One was one of eight raptors transferred to Nublar. The raptors were the first species hit by the prion disease when it spread across Nublar. Some sort of oversighted glitch in the Big One's genetic code made her incredibly susceptable to the disease. Much of her brain tissue had been affected by the disease, making her much more aggressive than the other seven. None of the other raptors suffered from this. While they were monitered, the Big One put herself above the others, attempting to take dominance of the pack. She would hoard boastful amounts of food from the meat they were fed, keeping a lot of it to herself and away from the others. When any of the other raptors would act up, she would smack them around a bit to keep them in line. Not enough to have them brought to the veterinarian's facility but enough to make sure they didn't act up again. The Big One was aggressively overbearing in her treatment of the others. Within days, she had asserted her command of the others.

Studies of heat emmisions within the brain and the flow of dopamine, testosterone, and seratonin indicated the Big One, combined with neural degridation of her brain tissues, was enduring a few mental disorders. It seemed to suffer from agoraphobia and claustrophobia. The scientists were unsure as to why but seemed to link it to sharing the holding pen with the other seven. None of them knew much about animal psychology or even how to treat an animal undergoing these symptoms. They had thought only humans endured this. Dinosaurs were more complex than previous imagined. A combination of intense anxiety and the overflow of testosterone led the animal to try and escape. The raptors began attacking parts of the fence in an attempt to escape. Perhaps they were trying to escape their leader or were following her example. The fences had to be tended to constantly to avoid any chance of a breakout. After a week and a half of escape attempts, the animals stopped trying. The Big One's condition worsened, driving her to extremes. In a rage, she killed five of the other raptors. Only two were left alive. The scientists were unsure why. Perhaps she had plenty of space now or desired some sort of companionship from the two. Whatever the reason, the raptor cage went silent, save for when cows were lowered into the cage for feeding time. That was always noisy. To make up for the numbers lost, five more raptors were cloned and shipped to Nublar. To avoid a repeat incident, Hammond had the animals confined to the quarantine pens until further notice.

"Both of these animals have problems," Jorge said, wanting to loosen things up between the two. Muldoon hated both the Troodons and the Velociraptors with a passion, while Sorkin cherished them incredibly. He didn't want something to spark off in here. "These issues need to be solved. And quickly. D-Day is around the corner."

"They should all be destroyed," Muldoon said. Sorkin scoffed indignantly at him. Jorge didn't want to see these animals killed but couldn't deny the problems they presented. The raptors had quieted themselves out, but the Troodons showed no signs of slowing.

"While the raptors are quite dangerous, the Troodons do exhibit high forms of aggression as well as xenophobia to foreign animals in their environment." Wu had been keeping tabs on the animals, watching them as intently as Sorkin had been.

"Don't forget the venom," Muldoon added. Wu nodded.

"I'd like to think your little slapdash approach to gene sequencing had something to do with the abnormalities we're dealing with, Henry," Sorkin said very disapprovingly. The genome presented to Sorkin was not in the list of validated codes for use on Sorna and not one of the animals to be exhibited on Jurassic Park. As such, nobody knew what to expect when these animals turned out. Like the Velociraptors, the Troodon lacked feathers and were very aggressive. Despite this, they were very intelligent. Problem solving intelligent, on par with the raptors. The dinosaurs were slender and had a series of quills that adorned their spinal column. The most noticeable feature on the animal was the pair of large glowing eyes embedded in the skull. Fossil records showed the dinosaurs had large eye sockets, implying they had great eye sight and were nocturnal. During the gestation cycle of the eggs, Sorkin had taken note of several genetic codes within the Troodon's DNA. Recent events had forced her to give those notes a second look.

The dinosaur shared some genetic qualities with Velociraptor and Compsognathus. The animal sported similar foot structure of the raptor, a slashing claw on the foot. The glowing eyes were the result of the animal containing a layer of Tapetum lucidum in its retina, a trait prevalent in many nocturnal animals. Sorkin attributed it to Wu's use of amphibian DNA, but such genetic samples within amphibians are incredibly rare. However, evidence suggests that this trait is actually a pure one and not one of the amphibian DNA in the system. Tapetum lucidum or some form of it is found to be in the genetic code of owls. Sorkin viewed this trait between owls and the Troodon as another piece of the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds. Her excitement over this revelation was swiftly overturned by the discovery of the genetic trait shared with the Compsognathus. Further research indicated that this trait was not only shared with Compsognathus but Dilophosaurus as well. All three of these dinosaurs contain a toxin in their venom. Dilophosaurs spit a black ink at their opponents, while Troodon and Compsognathus contain their toxins within their saliva.

The Compsognathus has a foamy saliva that contains high amounts of serotonin. Serotonin is naturally occurent in the body of most animals, but the samples within the dinosaur's saliva are incredibly primative and not consistant with any other modern animal. Its closest comparison is cobra venom but barely. The genetic makeup of the serotonin triggers an allergic reaction when it contacts flesh. The narcotic affect of the venom causes the victim to feel drowsy. Unusual in itself, but the really scary part is that the venom itself was genetically attuned to hunting mammals. During the Jurassic, the Compsognathus were at the near bottom of the food chain, stooping barely above small mammals. A genetic trait had manifested itself and was eventually distilled throughout the population. The chemical agent in the venom, gamma-amino methionine hydrolase, was highly toxic to small mammals. When in contact with reptiles or other dinosaurs, the venomous saliva left nothing but a minor burning sensation. This saliva was specifically adapted for use against small mammals. Sorkin had poured over this theory for an incredibly long time when studying the Compys, a bit unnerved at how their genetic code was linked specifically to harm them. A couple of workers had found out about the venom the hard way when a couple of the Compys bit them on Nublar. They were treated before symptoms worsened but not before somebody had to get hurt to really see how effective the saliva was. Sorkin reprimanded Hammond for his negligence in allowing the dinosaurs to run free. These Compys were not as docile as the ones on Sorna. As such, Hammond could not be as lenient with them here as he was there. The animals were scattered away from major centers of human congregation to accommodate the workers. It wasn't what Sorkin wanted, but it was enough for her to get off Hammond's back.

The Compy data was cross referenced to study up on the Troodon case. Sorkin had taken truck loads of notes when studying the creatures. When the dinosaurs were fed their live feed, they exhibited unique hunting behavior. The goat that was placed into their pen for feeding was toyed with. Due to the animals being nocturnal hunters, they didn't bother the goat until night. The animals played mind games with their prey, tripping it and pushing it around in the dark. Very unique behavior. Things escelated when the Troodon took its first bite. The goat was bitten on the front leg, a bubbly trail of saliva coated the wound. The goat then went into a bizzare episode where it would stare at trees or rocks and then freak out, seemingly undergoing hallucinations. The animal then went into shock and collapsed on the ground, its legs sticking out. This is a normal reaction goats have to fear, but the animal sat in that position for about an hour. It seemed to be paralyzed. The animals then closed in and feasted. Further studies were done on the animal, with more live feed. A cow was brought into the pen, a feast fit for a king to these animals. They exhibited similar hunting techniques with the cow but seemed to be more cautious. They were dealing with a much larger animal, after all. When the cow was bitten, it exhibited the exact same symptoms as the goat. It hallucinated and eventually collapsed on the ground, unable to move. Unlike the goat, however, the animals did not immediately attack. The cow then began to colvulse violentyly, undergoing intense seizures. After about twenty minutes of this, the animal went silent. Then, the Troodon feasted. Sorkin was both shocked, horrifed, and fascinated at her study. She had never been for the use of live animal testing and was shocked at the choices she made to implement it. She had let her curiousity get the better of her. What shocked and horrified her the most was the animals' behavior. With the goat, they moved in quickly to clean up the mess. With the cow, they allowed it linger. It sent chills down her spine.

Autopsies of the cow's body revealed the animal had had a brain hemmorhage during its convulsions. It went brain dead afterwards, dying from the shock and toxins within. Similar symptoms were cross referenced with Komodo dragon bites, the two reptiles sharing similar toxic salivas. Things got out of control with the Troodon when Sorkin requested the cow's body be brought for an autopsy. Workers came in and lifted the body out. The Troodon, however, didn't take too kindly to that. In fact, it pissed them off. Before the workers could escape, the dinosaurs swarmed them. Bite marks permeated their bodies, and the two began to undergo the symptoms. Muldoon had managed to scare off the reptiles by tossing a flare into the cage. By Sorkin's observations, the animals appeared to be sensitive to light. There was not enough time for the workers to be airlifted to Costa Rica for treatment, so they were dealt with on the island. Thanks to Sorkin's cross referencing and quick-thinking, the workers were saved due to the administration of heavy tranquilizers. Sorkin may have saved the workers' lives, but her solo project had landed her and Hammond in hot water. Hammond had allowed her to clone and study these dinosaurs without consent or even knowledge from the board. Now that this incident had reached the board, Hammond was taking the heat for it. He had to fix all this. As such, she feared for her animals' lives.

"Tell that to my boys," Muldoon grumbled. "The boys responsible for getting you your carcass."

"Your "boys", as you call them, were more than prepared for the consequences of working for these animals when they took their jobs here, Mr. Muldoon," Sorkin said.

"That's the thing, though," Wu interrupted. "They weren't. Nobody knows how to handle dinosaurs, Laura. Your Troodon even less."

"They are a danger to this park and a hazard to its staff and guests," Hammond stated.

"This island is home to Velociraptor, Herrerrasaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Dilophosaurus, Compsognathus, and you worry over my Troodon?" Sorkin grew impatient with Hammond. Well, more impatient. "There are already two venomous reptiles present, as well as a variety of toxic plants from the Mesozoic era you had planted on this island. The stomach problems your Stegosaurs are undergoing are due to the consumption of the berries you had cultivated around the island!"

"They lived alongside these berries, Dr. Sorkin," Hammond pleaded with her. "It is their environment, not ours. In time, they will evolve to accommodate themselves to them."

"No they won't, Hammond!" Sorkin said. "They don't have the capacity to evolve. That's only one of the flaws in the genetic code we programmed them with to save you time and money."

"You don't know that," Wu interrupted. "Evolution takes more than a few years on an island. It takes centures, maybe even more. As a scientist, I thought you knew this. I won't let this whitewash continue."

"Don't be cross with me, Henry," Sorkin said condescendingly to him, irritated at him downplaying her efforts to get ahead again. "Your choice to cut corners was the result of all this. All these errors here at Jurassic Park are on your head." Jorge had kept quiet the entire time, not really sure who to side with. He agreed with Sorkin that Wu's technique was flawed and wrong but felt uneasy on the Troodons. Muldoon leaned in close to Hammond and muttered to him.

"Sir, I don't think Sorkin is willing to let this go," he told him. Hammond nodded and stepped back into the conversation.

"Sorkin, I understand your admiration for these animals, but they are just too dangerous to be dealt with here in the park," he addressed. "Their conception was on such short notice. I had given you permission to take care of these animals, but we were ill-prepared for their nature. I had not expected them to have come to age so quickly."

"You gave the science team clear orders to add large quantities of growth hormone to the specimens that would be used for the test run of these facilities," Sorkin replied. Hammond raised a hand up to calm her. She allowed him to continue.

"The nature of these animals is not very appealing for tourists," Hammond continued. "Their methods of eating their feed are very drastic, to say the least. This incident with the venom and their nocturnal nature makes them too dangerous for our workers to handle. As such, there is no place for them here on Jurassic Park. It pains me to say this, but these animals must be removed."

"You mean to euthanize them, sir?" Jorge finally spoke up. Hammond sighed and nodded.

"That is correct," he lamented. Muldoon smirked softly to himself. He was eager to see these animals put down. If Hammond ordered him to have them shot, he would've pumped the lizards full of lead an hour after the first bullet killed them.

"You can't do that!" Sorkin shouted. "These animals didn't choose their evolutionary traits or the DNA we distilled into them! Think of the money you wasted having these animals cloned. Think of the money, John."

"Cloning these dinosaurs was not a waste of money," he told her. "You still have the pure genetic sample back on Sorna, with the pure clutch you had created before your leave. You'll still have your Troodon. Just not here. You'll have to wait until the park's debut to head home to see them, I'm afraid."

"That won't be for weeks," she said. "I'm the only one capable of working with these animals."

"Don't sell me short. What about me?" Jorge interrupted. He had been interested in seeing the Troodon. They were one of the most fascinating species in the fossil record, but Sorkin had kept him preoccupied with other matters she conveniently had going on for him to divert him to catch a glimpse.

"Oh please, Jorge," Sorkin said brushing him off. "You don't know how these Troodon work. I do, however."

"This is not up for debate," Hammond told her. "The Troodon are to be removed from Jurassic Park immediately. Your pure clutch on Site B is in the care of Dr. Corts. They will be fine."

"Hammond, I-"

"Perhaps if I give you another project to work with, you will see it our way?" Jorge looked over at Hammond in a very unsure manner. Sorkin caught this look and raised an eyebrow. She had known Jorge was keeping something under his hat, but he was very good at retaining secrets.

"I'm listening," she said and folded her arms. Hammond smiled and nodded. He looked over at Jorge.

"I believe it's time we show her what I've had you working on, my boy."


	9. Pet Projects

"I'm just saying, sir. For a place called "Jurassic Park", we have very few Jurassic animals present." Jorge had been meaning to discuss this issue with Hammond before the meeting with Sorkin. While on their way to the North Dock, he figured he'd continue the discussion. The Jeeps were the quickest way of travel around the island and the only one available for staff. The electric tour cars were for use on the tour, and the island had no personal helicopters, so the Jeeps were it. It would be a while, so Jorge had a chance to talk with Hammond.

"We have plenty of Jurassic dinosaurs," Hammond stated. "Brachiosaurus, Othnelia, Dryosaurus, Stegosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Compsognathus."

"But look at the others," Jorge countered. "Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Parasaurolophus, Pteranodon, Troodon, Cearadactylus, Velociraptor, Gallimimus, Herrerasaurus-"

"Alright, alright. I see what you mean." It was an issue that annoyed Jorge.

"I just think that we need more Jurassic representatives to this park to make things a bit more fitting," Jorge said.

"During Phase B, we'll have more animals brought in," Hammond replied. A lot was to happen on Phase B of the park's operation. The pureblood dinosaurs of Sorna would be swapped for the ones present on Nublar. Other animals were to be added to Nublar's roster during this phase. Of course, right now, the crew was still knee-deep in Phase A. It would take a lot of work to make it to B. "Camarasaurus, a few other hadrosaur species, and a menagerie of others."

"You do realize that your plan to swap the raptors with the Herrerasaurs will require multiple modifications to the paddock," Sorkin said.

"I'm well aware," Hammond stated. The raptors had proven to be too much of a hassle for Nublar's staff and facilities to deal with. The animals were brought to Nublar with the intent of being the replacement slot for the raptors on the tour, a notion Hammond had put forward. Wu, Muldoon, and Arnold were all too eager to see the reptiles go. Sorkin didn't have a fondness for the plan, finding the Velociraptors fascinating. However, she was willing to let it go due to her interest in the mid-Triassic predator. Of course, when it came to Hammond's removal of her Troodon, that was too far in her book.

"How long until we reach the marine facility?" Sorkin asked. Jorge's eyes widened, and the others were very silent. Wu, Hammond, and Jorge had not known Sorkin had prior knowledge of the marine facility.

"Jorge, your record keeping is shoddy, at best," Sorkin said to him. "You forget to log off from your terminal."

"Where did you find the time to snoop through my files?" Jorge asked her.

"While you alternated between whatever kooky plan you and Hammond cooked up and supervising the details necessary to re-purpose the raptor paddocks for the Herrerasaurus, I took a look. The samples needed time to grow, so more time for me. However, I will give you credit on your discreetness with whatever specimen you're keeping in the tanks. Guess I know where half my funding went last year." Jorge looked out the side of the Jeep at the grassy plains that rolled over the island. "Exactly what do you plan to house in there?"

"You'll see," Hammond said with a twinkle in his eye. Sorkin snorted and looked forward. How they planned to house something in that facility, she had no clue. While reading Jorge's files, Sorkin had gathered a lot from the plans for the facility. It was large with the bulk of it being located underground. A large tank with an observation post in the center linked to an elevator leading to the surface. The construction workers building the thing probably didn't know what it was meant to house. Sorkin had analyzed the genetic samples kept in Sorna's facilities and didn't find anything out of place. She had thought the facility would be another tourist trap, a scuba diving center of some kind. Tourists would swim with coelacanths and horseshoe crabs. They couldn't have obtained any genetic samples from any pieces of amber. Prehistoric aquatic reptiles are a bit out of reach for mosquitoes. If Jorge and Wu had come up with something, it was probably one of the "illegitimate" specimens Hammond had commissioned. Sorkin's Troodon was one of three kept outside official databases. The Pteranodon and Cearadactylus were two others but were both classified under "Pterosaur". When brought to board attention, the concept of having flying prehistoric reptiles was met with mixed response. The big concern was on containment detail and keeping the animal from escaping into the outside world. This didn't stop Hammond, and he had them cloned anyway. The animals were to be kept secret until the board gave him the go-ahead to create them. A pure code of Spinosaur DNA was being housed back at Sorna and was slated for cloning after the park's opening. "We're almost there. I think you'll be quite pleased."

"If you say so," Sorkin rebutted.

* * *

><p>Sorkin stood in the main lobby and looked around at all the lobby. She hated to admit it, but she was impressed. The design and architecture were designed to be very ancient and sea-like. The ceiling was painted teal and had dark silhouettes of fish, mosasaurs, squids, and other marine life painted into it. In the middle of the lobby was a large rock pool where small horseshoe crabs scuttled. Small fish that could fit in the palm of a child's hand fluttered around the mosses that clung to the rocks. Starfishes rested at the bottom amongst the rocks. A large rock monolith stood from the center of the pool. Carvings of ancient crustaceans adorned the rocks. Several plaques were built into it, chronicling the age of marine life from oldest to newest. On the edge of the rock pool, a plaque read "Paleozoic Era: 542-251 Million Years Ago". From the bottom up, the rock had Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian eras accounted. A couple of tanks were built into the walls around them, housing all sorts of marine life. In one tank, many chimeras swam around. The other two held nautili and coelacanth. After allowing her to take it all in, Wu, Hammond, and Jorge stepped onto the elevator. She hurried into it with them, eager to see what was stored down below.<p>

The elevator took the four down into the rotunda while the drivers above had the Jeeps refueled. Jorge eyed the glass walls of the elevator nervously.

"I hate coming down here," he said. "All this water being held back by glass walls scares me."

"Then why did you sign up for an underground aquatic project?" Sorkin asked. The idea of being so deep under the water and so far from the surface really scared Jorge. He had seen too many movies of underwater accidents. Being surrounded in a tiny air pocket under thousands of tons of water was a concept that unnerved him. Drowning was universally accepted as the worst way to die. If Jorge were ever in the navy, he could never serve in a submarine. Too horrifying. Reading the book _Sphere _on the drive over to the facility didn't help at all.

"Relax, my boy," Hammond said, patting him on the shoulder. "These glass walls are solid plexiglass. The only way to break it would be with unconventional weapons."

"Or an angry sea monster," Sorkin teased. Jorge's eyes twitched at her words. His breathing and heartbeat quickened, but he kept his composure. His ears then popped, and he shook his head. A voice then came over the loudspeaker.

"Attention, guests. The lagoon rotunda and spectacular is housed in a pressured underwater environment. We suggest you pinch your nose and push your breath to equalize your ears while you descend. If you experience any lasting discomfort or feel unusually giddy, let your attendant immediately."

"Giddy?" Jorge asked. "Who wrote that?" Sorkin laughed softly to herself.

"Giddiness is from nitrogen narcosis and risk of breathing pressurized air," she told him.

"That happens on airplanes too, right?" he asked. She nodded at him. "That explains so much." The elevator doors slid open, and the four walked down the hallway to the center of the rotunda. The center was a large operations deck with the staff zone sealed inside a dome in the middle. The staff zone held a large computer on a desk with a diving zone in the middle for access into the tank. It was currently sealed up, the only part of it visible being the bulkhead that shut it. The windows around them showed a large undersea cavern with towering clusters of seaweed swaying in the current. On the far rock wall was a large metallic container built into it. The waters were very still outside. The only visible signs of life were nautili, coelacanths, and a few smaller fishes swimming through the water. Hammond looked through the glass excitedly. Sorkin scanned the life in the tank, not sure what she was supposed to be seeing. Wu and Jorge were farther back from the walls than the other two were. They had always been very cautious when working down here.

"There it is," Hammond said, pointing out into the water. Sorkin's jaw dropped a foot at the creature that paddled by them. A large blue and white thick scaled reptile with a large flat flap at the end of its tail and four wide fins caught a couple of coelacanth in its maw and swallowed it down.

"A mosasaur," Sorkin said in awe.

"A project I've had Wu and Jorge working on for some time," Hammond said proudly. Jorge eyed the Tylosaurus cautiously. It was an incredible sight to behold but a very scary one as well. The apex predator of the Cretaceous seas was lurking around down here, always hungry.

"How did you find enough DNA to clone such a creature?" Sorkin asked.

"It was quite the find," Jorge said. "Read the details in a paleontological magazine I'm subscribed to. Paleontologists found a complete fossilized skeleton of a Tylosaurus high into a cliff face. The animal was washed up on shore when it died. A large stockpile of amber had been found in the same cliffs. Many of them contained the mosasaur's DNA, enough to form a complete specimen. A pureblood mosasaur. The mosquitoes inside fed on the animal before becoming preserved in amber."

"Luck of the draw, I must say," Sorkin said, beaming at the large reptile floating outside them.

"Sorna had no facilities to accommodate marine life," Wu added. "Jorge and I completed the code and had it shipped off to here for it to be cloned and raised."

"But Nublar doesn't have the facilities to deal with cloning and raising animals," Sorkin interrupted.

"That's where this facility came in. It not only houses the animal but is large enough to raise it as well. We also have adequate cloning facilities, but they are not nearly as refined as Sorna's. It's a work in progress," Hammond said. "We have hatcheries to deal with taking care of these animals."

"It's not the same thing," Sorkin told him. "You can't just repurpose a hatchery into a cloning laboratory."

"We have the DNA samples in cold storage and machines designed for creating eggs," Hammond said. Jorge looked at Hammond astonished. He hadn't bothered to tell Sorkin about this? Hammond had always taken risks and bent rules. He shouldn't have been surprised. Or perhaps Sorkin had been too involved in her studying the Troodon to remember. "Our quarantine pens will be holding zones for any animals we clone until our laboratories have been completed." Hammond had more laboratories commissioned for construction, but that would not begin until Phase B. He had explained all this to Wu and Jorge, but the two of them were apprehensive on his plans. Nublar didn't have the space to support any other laboratories. It barely had enough space to support the animals Hammond would have brought in during Phase B. The facilities on Sorna had taken a couple years to complete, but they had plenty of space to work with. They still do. Hammond was trying to operate within already tightly defined parameters. Installing cloning facilities would be a costly and time consuming effort. Power lines and communication relays would have to be reset and rewired to include the new facilities. He was really pushing his boundaries.

"What's wrong with Sorna?" Sorkin asked.

"It's too far," Hammond replied. "We need something closer, to increase efficiency. Boats running between the islands is too risky, expensive, and time consuming. It would be much easier to have everything set up here."

"But Nublar can't accommodate these new facilities. We simply don't have the time and space for it."

"Let's wait and see," Hammond said. Sorkin sighed to herself and shook her head. There was no arguing with or pleasing this man. She was just glad to be able to see the mosasaur. "Doctor Sorkin, now that you know, I ask that you become leader of the mosasaur project. You will be responsible for monitoring and studying this wonderous creature. Wu and Jorge kept this project a secret because we needed to know if this would work. If in the event it failed, we didn't want that failure vocalized."

"Simply put: we warmed it up for you, doc," Jorge said with a grin. Sorkin looked from the mosasaur to the three men before her.

"I suppose an aquatic reptilian superpredator is a worthy trade for my Troodon," Sorkin said with a smile.

"Excellent!" Hammond said, patting her on the shoulder. "I knew you'd see it my way. The animals are to be euthanized tomorrow. Clear?" Sorkin nodded. "I'll put you in charge of them. Now, let's head back up and get some food, shall we?" The three scientists followed Hammond to the elevator. So that was it. Sorkin got to work on the mosasaur in exchange for getting rid of the Troodon. She smirked to herself at this thought. Hammond had never thought out plans well, and hearing his plans to build cloning facilities on Nublar further supported this theory. Nublar didn't have the space, but he didn't care. He only wanted money. Sorkin understood that Hammond was incompetent and unable to see things past "money". He didn't understand the scientific prowess these animals held. Sorkin was willing to bet he didn't even consider the consequences for the cloning of the Tylosaurus. Just another money-making gamble. The other scientists couldn't see the scientific prowess either. Even Jorge, the man she respected most, failed to see the knowledge these Troodon could provide them. But did they care? Of course not. They were too scared or ignorant. Plus, why should she go with their plans when they had been lying to her for about a year? Sorkin wasn't going to let her project be cut short. If Jorge and Wu got to keep their secret, she can still keep hers. The quarantine pens would be a nice and reclusive spot to house her Troodon. She's in charge of the location, and the only other person who is ever there besides her is David. And he had been in on the project since the beginning. He wouldn't give her away.


	10. Heart to Heart

Jorge sat at his desk, typing data files on the wildlife catalogued in Nublar's database. He was halfway through typing and organizing the data on the Dilophosaurus file. Hammond wanted hard copies of all the data on the animals in files delivered to his office before the weekend was through. The top of the page had "Dilophosaurus venenifer" written in a tribal font on the top with the icon of a black Dilophosaur skull circled to the side. At the bottom was the InGen logo, a size graph of the animals compared to humans, and two pictures of the dinosaurs. The photograph to the right was a male, and the other was of a female. The male was bright yellow with mottled black spots, and the crests are adorned with black and red stripes. The female was a dark olive with mottled brown splotches across its body with a folded up frill clinging to its neck. The inside of the frill was a wild red and orange with yellow highlights in certain spots. Strangely enough, the frill seemed to only be on the female. The males lacked such a fixture. The black tar like venom present in the Nublar clones was lacking in their Site B counterparts. Instead, the purebloods' venom was actually a thick liquid spray that burned eyes, irritated skin, and was very pungent. The venom was proven to be natural to the species but also shown to be another abberation in the genetic code. Two columns of information lined the sides of the paper. They were comparisons of the imperfect Nublar clones and the purebloods back on Sorna. The purebloods grew to a size of about 20 feet. The Nublar ones did not grow to that size, indicating stunted growth. Even after all this time and all this research, the data before him still boggled his mind. Jorge would go over the data in his head over and over again on how different the animals were compared to paleontologists' theories and modern animals. Every animal had something unique to offer. He shook his head and came back to reality, spacing out from thinking about the animal data. He had worked through several files alphabetically and had several dozen more animals left to catalog. It would be a long weekend.

Jorge liked cataloging the animals but was a bit disappointed he would miss the opportunity to meet the guests Hammond had invited for the weekend. He wasn't entirely sure why Hammond gave him this job of cataloging the data. It wasn't like he actually analyzed his findings. If he wanted, Jorge could have hopped on the boat and be back by Sunday, and no one would be the wiser. Hammond probably thought he was already there. Jorge wouldn't do that though. Today was too important. The big day Hammond had them prepared for was there. June 11th, the park's first official test run. Jorge wanted to see the reactions of the paleontologists when they saw his creations. Alas, he was stuck cataloging. He was not the only one who was incredibly busy. The Control Room was on standby with Nedry and Arnold working tirelessly with Hammond and Muldoon hovering over them. Arnold and Muldoon were incredibly nervous. Hammond and Nedry seemed to be overly nonchalant about it though. This puzzled Jorge. He had never been able to completely figure Hammond out, but why was Nedry so casual? His job could be at stake here. All of their jobs were. Sorkin wasn't all that concerned either. She had taken up residence in the field lab by the quarantine pens to monitor the Parasaurs. Since she agreed to euthanize the Troodon a month ago, Sorkin spent all her time in the field lab. The InGen Board had given her that spot to work in to have her closer to the animals. And to shut her up. Jorge was slightly nervous, about the guests' opinions and the fact that most of the staff would be on shore leave for the weekend. Wu, Gerry, and many others would board the boat and be scheduled to leave at 7 PM. Even if he could leave, he wouldn't. He loved working at Nublar. However, the fact that so many people were leaving made Jorge incredibly nervous. Arnold and Nedry assured him that they can run the entire park with just them, but Jorge was still a bit worried. They relied too much on automated technology, and theirs was prone to tons of failures. The storm brewing on the other side of the island did little to help his troubled mind. The sun was setting on the other side of the island, while the storm blanketed the other half.

"I recall the time we found those fossilized mosquitoes, and before long, we were cloning DNA..." Jorge sang to himself. A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "Come on in!" The door creaked open, and Gerry stepped inside. A teenage girl with short pigtails followed him in. She wore a red and black striped shirt with a khaki jacket over it. Maroon boots were at the bottom of her khaki pants. "I assume this is Jess?" Gerry smiled and nodded. Jessica walked over to Jorge's desk and shook his hand. "I've heard good things about you."

"Thanks," she said shyly.

"This is my friend Jorge Michaels," Gerry said. "He's one of the lead geneticists here at Jurassic Park."

"Seen any of the dinosaurs?" Jorge asked.

"Only Lady Margaret," Jessica answered. Jorge smirked. "I wanted to see more, but I'll have to be going soon."

"Aww, you're gonna miss the big dinosaur gladiator battle," Jorge teased. Jessica laughed a bit. Gerry smirked and shook his head.

"You're a bad influence, you know that?" he mocked. Jorge shrugged with a smirk. "I need a favor, Jorge."

"That's what I'm here for," he replied.

"I've got to attend to the sick Triceratops out in the field."

"Weren't you there like half an hour ago?"

"Yeah, but the medicine needs to be re-administered," Gerry answered. "I've had plenty of time to show Jess around the park."

"And to shave that thick mustache, I see," Jorge said with a laugh. Gerry snorted and shook his head.

"Anyway, I need to attend to that, and I'll be about an hour. Think you can watch Jess for me?"

"Sure thing, buddy," Jorge said.

"Thank you," he replied. Gerry turned to Jess. "After this, I'll take you to the boat. I'll try not to take too long."

"Take your time, Dad," Jessica said, wanting to remain in the park a little longer. Gerry hugged Jessica and exited the office. Jessica looked over at Jorge, and he smiled at her. She smiled back. Jorge looked down at his file and continued working. Jessica looked around the room. There was a picture of a shell on the wall. It looked a bit like a snail's shell, but Jess didn't know of any aquatic snails. A large map of the island was on the wall next to Jorge, hanging to the left of the door. A fan hung from the ceiling, its light illuminating the dark beige room. Her footsteps were muffled by the carpet as she walked closer to Jorge's desk. A computer took up a good amount of the space on his desk, with several files stacked on top of one another in a plastic storage crate on the floor. Jorge was typing up something on his computer, looking much too busy to bother with her. "So..." she said, wanting to break the lengthy silence. "What are you working on?"

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," Jorge teased. Jess raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. "Couldn't resist." Her eyes ran across his desk. A small green toy dinosaur was being used as a paperweight for a small stack of papers pinned together by a clip. Jess peered down at the papers and recognized the title: "A Sound of Thunder".

"Fan of Ray Bradbury, huh?" she asked. Jorge looked up at her.

"As a matter of fact, I am," he replied. "Sound of Thunder is my favorite of his."

"Because it has dinosaurs?"

"Absolutely! I also enjoy _Fahrenheit 451_. Classic." Jess grimaced at hearing that title.

"I didn't like that book," she said. "We had to read it in school. Ugh, it was so boring."

"See, all the kids said that back in high school," Jorge said. "But I enjoyed it. Why am I in the minority here?" Jess shrugged. "Go figure, I guess." Jorge pointed over to a bookshelf in the corner of the room. "If you're the reading type, there's some books there you may be interested in." A futon sat close to the bookshelf. A blanket was hanging off the back, and two soft pillows were resting on the cushions. It looked like Jorge slept there. Jessica walked over to the shelf and scanned the books for anything interesting. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's _The Lost World_, _A Journey to the Center of the Earth_, _The Andromeda Strain_, _Sphere_, and a couple of books written by someone called "Alan Grant" were on the top shelf. None of them caught her eye. Jess sighed to herself and sat on the futon. Jorge looked over at her, seeing her just staring down at her feet. She was clearly bored here. The scientist scratched at the goatee that he had been working on for a couple months now. Jorge shook his head and smiled to himself. He saved the Edmontosaurus file he was starting on and stood up from his chair. "You know, I can work on this later. You hungry?"

"I could go for some ice cream," she said. Jorge smiled and fished his office key out of a drawer.

"Let's go to the cafe," Jorge said. "My treat." A smile stretched across Jessica's face as she leapt from the futon and out the door. Jorge shook his head and chuckled softly to himself as he shut the door behind him and locked it.

* * *

><p>Jorge and Jessica sat at the ice cream bar in the Cretaceous Cafe. The serving girl Maria had brought them two banana splits. The two enjoyed their desserts and had casual conversation together. The storm that had swept over the island had died down, letting the peace of night set in.<p>

"My dad's the vet here, right?" Jess asked.

"Sure is," Jorge replied. "Great with the animals. He and I are the leading animal experts here. He talks about you a lot. Thinks you're a good kid." Jess smiled softly at hearing this.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said. "Since he started working here, we never get the chance to see each other anymore. I miss him sometimes."

"At least until he does or says something embarrassing in front of your friends. Then you want him back on this island," Jorge said. Jessica laughed at this.

"Yeah. I guess that's how it works. Did he really have a mustache?"

"Sure did!" Jorge said with a laugh. "He couldn't pull of the look. Finally decided to shave the thing. Some people just can't pull of facial hair."

"And you can?" Jessica said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Jorge returned the look.

"Smartass," he replied with a slight laugh. "I'll have you know it took me four long months to get this glorious beard."

"Beard?" she teased. "A goatee and a mustache don't count." Jorge laughed loudly at this and rubbed his slightly fuzzy cheeks.

"It's a work in progress," Jorge joked. Jess took a few bites of her dessert when her eyes took notice of the window on the roof. It had metallic bars on it.

"What's with those bars?" she asked pointing up. Jorge's eyes followed where she was pointing.

"Safety precautions," she said before taking a bite of banana. "Park's not 100% done yet. Still got some things in the works."

"Like what?" Jess asked.

"Well, we've got a roller coaster in the works that will go over one of the dinosaur paddocks," Jorge answered. "We call it the "Bone Crusher". It's gonna be sweet."

"Sounds cool," Jess replied. "I thought this was just a zoo though."

"Hammond likes to call it a "wildlife preserve", but everybody's just gonna call it a zoo though," Jorge said. "It's a combination of a zoo, amusement park, and five star resort. The animals will be the main attraction, of course, but there will be rides for the kids. Adults can lounge around on the beach all day, soaking up the sun to some prehistoric ambience."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Jessica said.

"Well, the resort bit won't be coming around for a while," Jorge answered. "We've got our hands full right now."

"You think you can do it with the animals you have here?" she asked. "I mean, some of the dinosaurs I read about in the brochure seemed kinda dangerous."

"About as dangerous as any other animal," Jorge said between bites of banana. "Like alligators, sharks, rhinos, or lions. Some animals are incredibly docile, and others can be a bit hostile."

"Isn't it dangerous working with animals that you know nothing about?" Jess asked.

"Both dangerous and exhilirating," he replied. "We take necessary precautions when dealing with the animals here. Plenty of the techniques used to handle modern animals don't completely work, and we have to get creative. Paleontological speculation has helped here and there, but we actually know more in the short amount of time this park has been around than the entire field of palentology has existed. These animals behave differently than what we imagine, yet we can correlate their behavior to some modern animals. Like hadrosaurs-"

"What?"

"Oh. Duck-billed dinosaurs."

"Oh!" Jessica said, understanding. "Like the one with the horn. What's its name? Starts with a "P" or something."

"Parasaurolophus," Jorge said.

"That's it!"

"Well, we've discovered Parasaurs behave in a similar fashion to hippos. They prefer damp and aquatic locations, preferring to wade around in the water and swim. Very social animals, living in large herds and grazing on the grasses. A herd consists of one bull, the male, and several cows, the females. Of course, they're not as openly aggressive as hippos are. In fact, they're quite docile and calm. A bit like cattle."

"I thought there weren't any males on the island," Jess said. "That all the dinosaurs were girls."

"They are," Jorge said. "No dino harems here. The girls have the run of the place. Free to do... girl dino things." Jess laughed at this, liking the idea of females having the run of the island. She sighed and was quiet for a bit, thinking of her dad. Jorge noticed she was staring off into space. "What's on your mind, kiddo?"

"It's my dad," she said.

"Oh, I'm sure he's fine out there," he reassured her. "The storm's dead."

"Not about that," she said. "I just wish we could talk more is all." Jorge put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Well, when he comes back, talk to him. Have a heart to heart. Those are good for you." Jess shuffled in her seat, something eating away at her.

"I have to tell him something, but I'm a bit worried how he'll take it," she admitted. Jorge knew what she meant. Gerry had discussed it with him a while back, but it seemed Jess didn't know her dad knew.

"Tell me what it is that's bothering you, kid," Jorge said, concealing a smile. "My lips are sealed."

"Well, I sorta shoplifted a t-shirt at the mall," she told him. "Almost went to jail, but I'm a minor. Plus, it was my first time, so they let me off the hook. But not without telling my mom. Dad talk about it any?" Jorge was quiet for a few seconds.

"Nope," he said. "Don't even think he knows." He decided to keep quiet about her old man knowing. Jessica needed to talk with her dad on this, and he didn't want to make it easy for her, figuring she wouldn't learn anything.

"Really?" she asked.

"Well, reception this far out in the ocean is shoddy at best," he told her. This actually was true. "You're a kid. You do crazy things. Shit happens. Kids do all sorts of stuff. Drink, smoke, plenty of stuff. Some of them just have to learn the hard way and learn how to carry themselves on from that experience so they avoid future mistakes."

"Tell that to my dad," Jess sighed.

"Eh, he's just worried about you is all," Jorge reassured her. "If he didn't, he wouldn't be a good parent. It sounds cool to have a parent like that, but it only works on paper."

"There's some... other stuff too."

"Secret's safe with me," he told her.

"I've kinda picked up smoking." Jorge let out a low whistle. "I know! It's bad, but it just happened!"

"Kid, you're young," Jorge told her. "You got your whole life ahead of you to do stupid stuff. Wait until you got a stable job to make some mistakes like that. That's not exactly what most people would refer to as "conventional advice", but it sounds good to me." Jess smiled at him, looking grateful for his unconventional words of wisdom. "But you may want to take your time telling him about the cigarette bit. No sense in getting a big punishment and a lecture all at once when you can get two small lectures at different intervals."

"Note taken," she said with a laugh.

"And your dad says I'm a nut," Jorge said with a smirk. "Your dad will always love you no matter what you do. Just be honest with him, and you can't be wrong. He just wants to help." Static sparked softly from the intercom system, and a voice called out over it.

"Jorge, Gerry's back," the voice said. "He's waiting in the lobby."

"Well, time to hop on that boat," Jorge said, getting up from his chair.

"Thanks for the pep talk," Jess said with a smile.

"That's what I'm here for," Jorge said. "To clone dinosaurs and give after school specials."


	11. It Got a Lot Worse, John

The clicking of the keyboard had been the only sound Jorge had heard since Gerry left with Jessica about half an hour ago. It was starting to drive him a little crazy. He happened to be nearing the end of his cataloging, so he continued the push. Work on the Pachycephalosaurus file was the same as it had been for the other few dozen dinosaurs: copy and paste photographs into the squares at the bottom and edit the title at the top. It was simple enough but got tedious really quick. Jorge was just glad he didn't have to handwrite them all. The tired scientist lifted his hands from the keyboard and rubbed his eyes, having forgotten to blink again. He took a small cloth and cleaned the lenses of his thin glasses. His glasses weren't actually smudged, but he needed something to do other than type for the rest of the night. With a click of a button, the file quicksaved his progress. He lifted himself from his desk and opened the drawer for his keys. Jorge had to get out of the Visitor's Center for a while. He figured he would take one of the Jeeps down in the garage and drive through some of the paddocks, to check up on the animals. Every employee had a key that would work for any of the Jeeps. Of course, they have to sign the board on the wall in the garage before taking off. The only exceptions to the rule were Gerry and Muldoon, for being the park veterinarian and the game warden. Seeing as how he was both the park's assistant vet and lead geneticist, however, made him feel he had some entitlement to private Jeep use. Besides, it's not like he would be gone long. Odds are Hammond didn't know he was still here. Jorge continued to justify his "break" to himself as he walked down the stairs to the garage.

* * *

><p>Jeep 23 was perched on a hill under a tree. It seemed Jorge was not the only one busy driving around tonight. Jeeps 10, 12, and 14 were all missing from the garage. Gerry, of course, had to have taken one, but what of the other two? Probably used to transport people to the boat and left at the East Dock. 18 and 29 were the only two other Jeeps inside after Jorge drove off. The way the number count for the Jeeps skipped around threw Jorge off a little. That wasn't the only thing, however. On the way through the Stegosaur paddock, the fence lights were out. At first, he assumed it to be a power outage, yet the Visitor's Center had power on. 7PM, right on time, the park's quartz lights came on. Muldoon's favorite time of the day. Jorge attributed it to a faulty light. One goes out, the rest of them do. Like Christmas lights. He tried to radio maintenance for a heads up but got only static. The lingering storm clouds must have been interfering with the signal. He wasn't bothered by it though, deciding he would just hop into the Control Room and tell them personally. A distant roar echoed through the air, causing Jorge's neck to snap up. He looked beyond the treeline, gazing in the direction of the Tyrannosaur paddock. The T-Rex was silent after her bellow into the night. Still, Jorge couldn't help but look on nervously at the forest a mile before him. The apex predator of the Late Cretaceous lurking out there, even behind a fence powered by 10,000 volts of electricity, was a very scary thought. The nervous snort of hot air on the back of his neck indicated he wasn't the only one feeling a bit frightened. Two dull black eyes stare down at him. Jorge smiles and runs his hand softly along the Stegosaur's snout.<p>

"You're alright," he said. The animal's muscles relax, and it lowers itself back onto the ground. Three days before the endorsement team's arrival, the blister problem the Stegosaurs had had reared its ugly head once more. Specimen 2, identified via a disk strapped to one of its front plates, was suffering from a minor case of gastric poisoning, the result of toxic buildup from certain plants consumed. Jorge administered the vaccine into the animal's system to deal with the sickness. The animal had been diagnosed a few days prior, but the current vaccine batch had not been prepared. Thankfully, every Jeep carried a briefcase with every vaccine sample in case of emergencies. Of course, Jorge didn't check to see if the vaccine he administered wasn't expired. Gerry was to change the vaccines in the briefcases once a month. Jorge would swing by tomorrow and check up on Specimen 2. If he had recovered, then mission accomplished. If not, then he'd just grab a fresh batch. The Stegosaur grunted softly at Jorge, content to just lie there on the grass. "Tired, huh?" The animal just blinked at him. Jorge ran his hands across the dinosaur's ribs. Instead of being scaley, its skin had a pebbly feeling, like that of a rhino.

Jorge sighed and put the empty syringe back in the suitcase. The only reason this disease was even around was due to Hammond's poorly conceived choice of plants. The Stegosaurs ended up swallowing the toxic berries of the Melia azedarach or the Cape lilac. Berries would get mixed into the clutter around the rocks they would swallow to help them digest their food, and the result would be either gastric poisoning or diarrhea. Triceratops had similar problems. The toxic West Indian lilac grew among the ferns the ceratopsians munched on, leading to similar diseases. Probably what Gerry was dealing with earlier. Hammond hadn't thought of the consequences of these plants. Regardless of them being among the dinosaurs, they were still as toxic as ever. He didn't necessarily blame Hammond though. Jorge was an animal person, not a plant person. The only reason he knew was because Sorkin berated Hammond on end for his poor choice in flora. He slammed the trunk shut and climbed into the front seat of the Jeep. He fished out a pair of night vision goggles to scan the paddock before he headed back. The goggles turned on with a high-pitched ping, and the world was bathed in neon green. Jorge looked all across the paddock but saw no semblence of life save for the snoozing Stegosaur. His attention was caught by a pained moaning farther up the field. A tired looking animal came into view, with two smaller animals beside it. They were Triceratops.

"They're not supposed to be in here," he said to himself. Hammond had strict rules on keeping the animals separated. The Brachiosaurs and Parasaurs were the only exception for some reason. The younger Triceratops circled the larger one as it collapsed on the ground. Part of its face was caked in some sort of dark stuff. The most prominent detail that put Jorge on full alert was the fact the animal was missing a horn. The Jeep sprang to life, and Jorge gunned it down the field as fast as possible.

The Jeep skidded to a halt a few feet away from the animals. The young dinosaurs ran up to the Jeep and called out to him, worry and fear in their calls. Jorge grabbed the first aid kit from the trunk and the vaccine briefcase and quickly walked over to the animal. He recognized the animal immediately: Lady Margaret. She was the largest Triceratops on Nublar. There was no question it was her. Bakhita, nicknamed by Gerry, and another little Triceratops stood behind him, whimpering. Lady Margaret was breathing heavily, her left horn torn clean off. It was clear she was disoriented from blood loss. Jorge looked over her bulk, not seeing any obvious injuries. The alpha's soft eyes stared up at him, the look in them one of pain. Jorge opened the first aid kit and opened a bottle of water. He poured some onto a cloth and proceeded to wipe the alpha's face. He had to clean the wound to prevent infection. The cloth had turned a dark red from soaking up all the blood. Jorge tossed it aside and pulled out another cloth. He rummaged through the box and fished out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. The chemical was poured onto the cloth, and he dabbed at the opening where the horn once was. Lady Margaret inhaled sharply and stifled a rumble in her throat. Jorge poured some water onto the wound. The coolness of the water caused the animal to loosen up, exhaling slowly. A large sheet of gauze was slipped out from the underside of the kit and dabbed with water and the chemical agent. He wrapped the sheet around the opening and tied it tight with a piece of medical tape. The man took a few steps back and sighed heavily. The wound was sterilized and pressurized, just like how he was taught in college. Lady Margaret groaned softly at him and rested on the grass, lacking the strength to climb to her feet. Bakhita and the other Triceratops shuffled to her side and nuzzled her soft flank. Jorge was impressed at this display of unconditional love and imprinting. Lady Margaret took on the role as the surrogate maternal figure without so much as a second thought. Parental instinct was an incredibly powerful thing.

A loud snorting and grumbling caught Jorge's attention. The little one was shaking its head and pawing the dirt at the Stegosaurus, who had come to investigate. Lady Margaret snorted loudly, and the young one came to her side. The Stegosaurus plopped down under a tree across from them, and the animals just stared blankly at Jorge. The man shook his head and laughed to himself.

"Three Triceratops, a Stegosaurus, and a scientist walk into a bar..." He had to remember to tell Gerry that. Jorge looked back at Lady Margaret's wound. This Triceratops was 30 feet long, weighing 14 tons, and had four foot long horns. And now it was lying on its side, delirious from blood loss. Lady Margaret was one of the toughest and biggest dinosaurs on the island and maintained her leadership of the Triceratops herd. Triceratops females were not normally aggressive, so this left only one explanation: Tyrannosaurus. It was bad enough that Triceratops were wandering into the Stegosaurs' paddock unchecked, but they had wandered from the Tyrannosaur paddock over to here. A loose Triceratops is one thing, but the apex superpredator of the Cretaceous was a whole different ball park. If it was running around loose, there would be hell to pay. All this meant that the fence really was off! Jorge still didn't understand it. The fence was down, but the Visitor's Center had power. It couldn't have been a power failure. Either the fence's generator was damaged in some way or somebody had turned off the fences. "I knew I should've gone on the boat with Gerry."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Jeep 23 actually has a fun little story behind it. In Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios: Orlando at the Jurassic Park attraction, Jeep 12 from the movie(the one used by Nedry) was put on display there. Of course, after years of being there, it's undergone some degradation and wear-and-tear. It was fixed up a few times. For some unknown reason, the number was changed to 23. Odds are the guys fixing the thing didn't know about it. So yeah, Jeep 23 is actually the original Jeep 12. Pretty little fun fact for you.<strong>


	12. Damage Report

The Jeep followed the path of the Safari Tour, looking for the tour cars. The storm would have meant the cars were to return early to the Visitor's Center. Jorge was incredibly worried of the T-Rex catching Hammond's guests. He'd been trying to raise the Visitor's Center on the radio for a good twenty minutes but was met only with static. Communication lines and fences were down, yet the lights still worked. Something was not right. Jorge sped the Jeep around a corner, almost flipping it over. He skidded to a halt in front of the Tyrannosaur Paddock. Things instantly went from bad to worse. Most of the fence was torn down, the eletrical rods of the fence scattered across the muddy ground. From a design point of view, the fence was very weak structurally. The framing was suited for smaller dinosaurs, like Dryosaurus and incredibly unprepared against a T-Rex. Hammond should have known such low security fencing would not do well against a 6 ton superpredator. Yet, he rested on his laurel that the 10,000 volts running through the structure would be enough to repel the animal. The current was low enough that it wouldn't kill any of the animals on the island but high enough to knock the wind out of them. Regardless, nobody was truly prepared for any of this.

The area around the fence was not much better of than the fence itself. Only one of the two tour cars was left on the road. Jorge pulled a flashlight from the glove compartment and carried it over to the car. The front and passenger doors were open, with no one inside. Jorge saw no bodies, blood, or any sign of a struggle. Hammond's guests must have left on their own, but there was still the matter of the other car. It was missing, with only a few small parts crushed into a barely identifiable mess. In the back of the car, several brochures and pamphlets blanketed the floor. The emergency gray box stored in the back was open with two flares missing. Frustrated, Jorge climbed out of the car. This all confirmed what he already knew but didn't tell him if anyone was okay. He sighed and looked down at his feet, his eyes widening as he did so. His boots were placed in the middle of a Tyrannosaurus footprint embedded in the mud.

He looked to the front of the car to find the trail exiting the paddock and leading over to the employee bathroom. If Jorge hadn't known about the bathroom, he would've never guessed it for one. It was smashed to pieces, damp wood scattered and splintered across the mud. The footprints stop here and then circle around the car again. Jorge stepped over some timbers and combed the rubble. A plank snapped under his boot, and a snorting sound came out from a pile of wood in front of him. A small skinny head peaked out from the corner and stared at him with big bug eyes. In its jaws was a shredded bloody piece of flesh with a brown boot at the end of it. The dinosaur had someone's leg in its mouth. Both horrified and fascinated at the animal's choice of food, Jorge stepped back a few paces. The little dinosaur stepped around the rubble, coming into full view. He recognized it as the juvenile T-Rex Hammond had added to the island's roster of animals. The adult and juvenile never interacted with one another, probably due to the younger one's fear of the elder. It was very deep into the adult's territory. The animal just looked at him, seeming perplexed. The drool cascading down the leg unnerved Jorge.

"Put that thing down," he said, reaching for the leg. "Drop it!" The animal squinted at him and snarled, shuffling back. Jorge took two steps closer to it, reaching out for the leg. The animal snorted at him, mist hitting Jorge's face. "Oh, a smartass, huh?" The man stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. The juvenile Rex's eyes widened, and it shook its head. Jorge whistled again, with the animal dropping the leg this time. It danced over to an opening in the fence and just stared at him. He turned on his flashlight and shined it in the animal's eyes. The dinosaur shook its head and hopped back into forest. Jorge listened as the rustling of ferns and wet steps faded into the night. The flashlight faded, and Jorge smirked triumphantly to himself. "Mess with me, will he?" A pungent odor wafted into his nose. Flies were permeating around the chewed up leg. Jorge swallowed and shook his head. "Poor bastard." He skipped over some shattered timbers and walked the length of the fence. A huge chunk of it had been torn down, spanning both the Rex pen and ravine. Worried the animal would fall and injure itself, the exhibit was designed to cut off at the ravine where as in the original blueprints, it was to be included. Jorge peaked over the edge, not expecting to find anything. A large hole in the top of a tree below him caught his interest. Jorge looked over his shoulder and found prominent drag marks in the mud with footprints behind them. They were obscured from the rain fall, but he could make them out. The Tyrannosaur seemed to push the car over the hole in the fence into the ravine.

Jorge fished his emergency key from his pocket and walked over to the door leading to the emergency stairs that led into the ravine. With a click of a lock, the door swung open, and Jorge made his way down the concrete steps. The crunch of leaves was the only sound that hung in the air. Through small openings in the bushes, the scientist could make out the shell of some desicrated metal structure. He reached the bottom and recognized it immediately as the other car. The remnants of the vehicle were caked in mud with large chunks taken out of it. The metal was scratched and dented with branches and leaves caught in between. Jorge stared up at the tree, a large jagged trail running down the length of the trunk. A few small chunks of bark were scraped clean off, like something bit into it. He walked around the wreckage, surveying the muddy ground. Two sets of footprints went from the wreckage into the forest. They were both human, but in different sizes. One belonged to an adult, and the other seemed to match up to a kid. A shiver went down Jorge's spine at the thought of kids being out in this madness. He was relieved to know that Jessica was out at sea away from all this. Jorge did a double take at the ground, caught offguard by two other pairs of footprints. Both came from boots and made a loop to the concrete stairs. Someone else had been out here. From the looks of it, they missed the other two. Jorge sighed and lifted his safari hat off his head. He wiped sweat on his sleeve and readorned his hat. He wanted to follow the trail into the jungle but didn't know how grand a scale he was dealing with here. Two T-Rexes had free range of the park, but how many of the other animals were out? In the back of his mind, he prayed the raptors hadn't gotten out. Even if main power had been shut down, the quarantine pens ran on an emergency auxilary power generator. Muldoon's fear had finally gotten the best of Hammond, and thank God it did. The raptors wouldn't be a problem, but what about the Dilophosaurs? Herrerasaurs? How many other Triceratops are loose beside Lady Margaret and the two kids? Jorge also didn't have any weapons to defend himself with were he to encounter any carnivores. The Jeeps only came with emergency medical supplies and a flare gun. Not exactly the ultimate self defense kit. Jorge had a bad feeling this was about to get a whole lot worse before it got better. With a sigh, he turned for the concrete stairs. He planned to head straight for the Visitor's Center and get search teams out patrolling the paddocks and maintenance started on the Rex fence immediately.

Jorge locked the door behind him and turned for the Jeep. The juvenile Rex was sniffing the tail pipe, the bloodied leg at its feet. The piece of flesh looked twice as ragged as when he left. The animal had obviously been chewing on it some more. Jorge stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply. The loud whistle echoed throughout the jungle, reverbing deep into the dark. The juvenile merely snorted at him in annoyance. In an ironic twist, a deep guttural roar echoed from within the forest in reply. Jorge and the juvenile Rex stared out into the dark of the forest, eyes as wide as dinner plates. The little dinosaur snatched the leg in his maw and sprinted for the cover of the trees. Jorge scrambled frantically into the Jeep and fidgeted the key into the ignition. The engine roared, and he spun the car down the road in the opposite direction of the Rex's roar. A large puddle splashed the rubber tires, dampening the already moist mud. The water from the puddle seeped into a faded imprint of tire tracks headed the way Jorge came in. A series of leaf shaped puddles brought up the rear behind the faded tracks.

* * *

><p>Jorge's eyes switched back and forth from the rear view mirror to the side mirrors to the road. Tyrannosaurus may have been one of his favorite dinosaurs, but that didn't mean he wanted to become its snack. He had gunned it down the wet trail for about ten minutes and not seen anything in his mirrors or heard any animals. The only noise from the forest was crickets. A while back, he spotted a pair of large glowing eyes in the underbrush. A slight shiver went down his spine when they made eye contact. Jorge wasn't that worried. It was probably some native mammal or something. All was calm on this side of the island. If he didn't know any better, he would have never suspected anything going on. His ears perked up when he heard faint moans farther up the road. He reduced his speed and dimmed the lights, not wanting to scare whatever it was. As he rounded the corner, a heavy sigh escaped his chest. A large herd of Apatosaurs blocked the road, standing and laying in the clearing before him. The sauropods munched on the foliage nonchalantly, as if they were still in their paddock. The only color on the animals' hide was a teal that colored their head but eventually faded into the gray that predominated the rest of their bodies. With the power out, there was nothing keeping the automatic lock on on the gate to their exhibit, allowing the animals to go free.<p>

"Son of a bitch," Jorge said to himself. "This is not what I need right now. Any other night, this would be okay." He sighed to himself as an Apatosaur grunted softly at him and peered down at him with soft brown eyes. "I'll bet Ed Regis doesn't have to deal with this. He's in public relations." Jorge scoffed to himself, on edge. As much as he enjoyed watching the sauropods, this was not the night for this. The animals didn't show any sign of moving either, insistant on staying there and eating their fill. In a couple hours, they'd move on, but he didn't have that time. Honking the horn at them wouldn't work in his favor. The sound would scare the animals into stampeding, and there are already enough problems going on at this time. Plus, any loud noises could bring the T-Rex along, and Jorge was not equipped to handle her. The only thing he could do was sit back and wait for the animals to move on. He put the car in "park" and dimmed the lights. Jorge rubbed his hands on his arms, the damp night air seeming a bit chilly. He swatted at a mosquito buzzing around his neck. "If Raid wasn't bad for the ozone, I'd spray you bastards down." He continued swinging at the bug. "But you did bring my lifelong dream to life, so I'll let it slide this time." Shivers trailed his spine. He turned around and climbed over the seat to the back. He flipped the back seats over to reveal a case built into the Jeep. The clamps shutting the case clicked open, and a brown cover rested inside. The cover was the soft top to the Jeep. Jorge had no intention of being caught out in the open while just sitting there, by the Rex or anything. He slung the cover over his back and climbed out of the car. The man climbed onto the tire and stretched the cover over the metallic bars above the seats. The cover was fastened into place, with Jorge pulling on it slightly to test its fitting. It was fastened on snugly. It would do its job keeping him from the bugs and cold. Personally, Jorge preferred hard tops, preferring the sense of security. Regardless, it would do its job. He climbed back inside the Jeep and swung the door shut. The windows were rolled up and the doors locked. Jorge clicked the lock button several times to assure himself it was locked. He turned the heat dial up a hair and relaxed in his seat. It seemed like years since he had gotten the chance to relax. Since Hammond's assingment for hardcopies of the dinosaur datbase files, he'd been tense. Now, he felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted. Jorge satback in his seat and watched the Apatosaurs meander around the clearing, their calls muffled to him. The car had grown really warm, almost like an invisible blanket has stretched over him. Jorge sat his hat in the passenger seat and ran his fingers through his hair. Tonight just had not been his night. Things were not boding well for Jurassic Park. Several escaped animals and one casualty. With any luck, they could salvage something from this ordeal. The man's breathing had softened, the only sound to him being the soft melancholic calls of the sauropods before him. Their beautiful cries were very soothing, acting like a prehistoric lullaby. His eyes began to flicker, his head feeling heavy. The clearing before him faded into darkness. And all was quiet.


	13. Reunion

Light flooded his vision as they flew open. Jorge squnited and winced, the bright sunlight painful to his eyes. Everything in the Jeep was jostling about. The groggy man clenched his seat tightly, fearing an earthquake was happening. The shaking, as quick as it started, stopped. A soft snorting sound was heard outside the vehicle. A large green flank of flesh stretched up and down the side of the car. Jorge slightly leaned forward and peered over the hood of the Jeep. A row of dark green plates stetched down to a small head. Jorge sighed with relief. It was only a Stegosaurus. The disk strapped to a front plate caught his eye. Specimen 2 was out of the Triceratops paddock and really far from it, too. He shook himself awake and ran his hand on the back of his neck, noting how sweaty it was. The inside of the car was like a sauna. Jorge rubbed his forehead, trying to remember if he shut the car off before he blacked out. His answer came to him in the form of an empty gas meter on the dashboard.

"Dammit to Hell," he spat to himself. It would take him forever to get to the Visitor's Center now. Jorge adjusted his hat and swung the Jeep door open. His boots splashed into a muddy puddle beneath him, scattering several small Compys drinking from it. "Sorry, little fellas." Specimen 2 rubbed its hind leg against the side of the Jeep. "So your leg itches. That's why you shook the car." The animal peered back at him with a blank expression. Jorge picked up a tree branch stuck under the Jeep's front wheel and ran the rough bark against the animal's flank. The Stegosaurus gave a loud grunt and snorted. It stepped away from the Jeep and meandered to a small bush, grazing on its green leaves. A smile creased the man's face. The dinosaur was in much better conditions than he found it last night. It seemed to have regained its appetite and energy. The vaccine seemed to have worked.

Jorge took a step back and took an account of his surroundings. The Apatosaurs had left at some point in the night, leaving him alone in the dark in an empty car. He walked to the front of the Jeep and slowly spun in a circle, looking for some sort of indication of where he was.

"GPS systems installed in the dashboards would have prevented this, but Hammond didn't want to spend money on such a thing. "Spared no expense", my ass. Oh, but the Safari cars get them, considering they're bound to a metallic trail in the dirt and can't go offroad." Jorge sighed and rubbed his neck. It had been sore from his head slumbed against his shoulder last night. "If I hadn't been so worried about that damn T-Rex, I could've paid attention to the signs on the way here. Where the hell am I? How far am I from the Center?" He took a couple steps around some reeds growing in a rock pool and finally found something to help him. A black rock sign with red text and logos greeted him. It was on the spot where the road turned. An arrow with a Rex skull labeled "Tyrannosaur Paddock" pointed in the way he had come last night. The other arrow pointed up the road with "Visitor's Center" written over it with the black and red logo of a hut beside it. "That's the best news I've seen all weekend." Jorge walked onto the main road and peered down it. It was empty, devoid of any activity. With no gas in his car, he would have to walk. The sun was really low in the sky. He didn't have a watch on him, so Jorge was unsure if it was really early or late. His boots made loud steps on the concrete as he followed the road to the Visitor's Center. A slight rustling and snorting caused him to turn around. The Stegosaurus was standing right there before him, just gazing at him. Jorge gave the animal a confused look. He took three steps back, the animal remaining still. Two more steps, and the animal remained in its place. Five more steps back, and the animal trudged forward. "If you're coming with, I'm not waiting for you to catch up." The soft black eyes just looked up at him, no expression in them. Jorge shrugged and continued down the road. Peering over his shoulder, the animal plodded after him. A small smile stetched over his face. His own "little" dinosaur follower.

* * *

><p>Jorge felt half an hour had gone by since he and the Stegosaur had set out. They had left the car way behind, and the winding road had now become a simple straight path. A slight turn obscured by some large trees was nestled a few yards ahead. Specimen 2 had been keeping up with him the whole time. For such a large animal, it was very quiet. Jorge found himself glancing over his shoulder several times in a span of three minutes to see if the animal was still following him. The sound of his boots stepping on the concrete trail was the only noise around them. The jungle had grown unnaturally quiet. It put Jorge a bit on edge. He felt it was way too quiet. A loud guttural roar changed that in a split second. Now, he felt it was too loud. The Stegosaurus bellowed loudly and turned around sharply. The spiked tail missed Jorge by the skin of his teeth. Any closer, and he would have been minced meat. The animal bounded as fast as its four legs would allow it down the road. The large green bulk of the dinosaur parted bushes and flattened shrubs as it ran into the forest. Frightened bird squawks echoed from the treetops farther up the trial as several tropical birds leapt into the sky. Jorge slowly crept towards the bushes, his heart pounding in his ears. The T-Rex's roar sounded very close.<p>

A green and red shape quickly rounded the corner and sped down the road. Jorge recognized it immediately as one of the Safari cars. Yet, it was going way faster than what they were programmed to go.

"The hell?" The Tyrannosaurs bounded the corner, chasing after the car. "Oh shit!" Jorge buried himself deep in the ferns surrounding him. The car and dinosaur sped right past him. The carnivore was too focused on the moving car to smell him out. The Tyrannosaurus of Nublar had very poor vision and relied on motion. For once, he was grateful for the genetic screw ups Wu's DNA technique created. The electric hum of the car, the thudding of footsteps, and aggravated roars of the T-Rex faded slowly as he hugged the foliage around him. Several minutes crept by as he crouched in the greenery, too scared to move. His breathing was heavy, his eyes jumping all around. They threatened to pop out of his skull if he didn't calm himself down. Jorge gulped and crept out of the underbrush as quietly as possible. He looked up and down the road as he slowly walked to the center. His hands were balled up and clutched close to his torso. He slowly walked towards the direction the T-Rex and car had come from. His walk slowly changed to a fast trot to a full on dash. The fearful man stumbled and fell to the ground. He tumbled around, his hat and glasses knocked loose from his head. Jorge just remained there on the ground, panting for air. When things got intense, his emotions went high. The concrete was warm against his face. His glasses sat on the ground in front of him, their thin frame barely recognizable from the blurry backdrop. The scientist gently lifted them up and squinted as he inspected them. They appeared to be undamaged and slipped them on his face. Jorge brushed the dirt and gravel off his clothes and donned his hat atop its rightful place. The weary man pressed on, rounding the corner. As he rounded it, the Visitor's Center came into full view. His heart rose, finally reaching his destination. "Now, we can get Jurassic Park back to normal. Whatever that is."

Jorge approached the large hole that was once the entrance. He whistled lowly. That would be hell to fix. The interior came into view as he entered the cool shadows of the building's insides. Needless to say, it had taken a beating. The dinosaur skeletons in the center now littered the floor in a cluttered mess, each dinosaur's fossilized remains indistinguishable from one another. Underneath Jorge's boots, the banner he came up with rested. _"When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth". _He was quite proud of it when it was finished.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he called out.

"Mr. Michaels!" a young voice called out. A small teenage girl sprinted from the shadows and jumped into him with a hug.

"Jess?" She smiled up at him and hugged him tightly. "And it's "Jorge", okay?"

"Jorge?" another voice called out. Gerry slipped out from a support pillar.

"You're here too? I thought you were on the boat."

"We thought YOU were on the boat," he said. Jorge scoffed and ruffled Jessica's hair. He grasped Gerry's hand and shook it firmly. "Great to see you alive."

"Back at you," Jorge replied. "Listen, you're not gonna believe what I saw on the way here."

"Big T-Rex chasing a red and green car?" Jess piped up. Jorge raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, so you DO know. So what was the deal?"

"Dr. Sorkin saved our asses from the Rex," Gerry answered.

"She's here as well?"

"Guess a lot of us missed the boat," Jess noted.

"What did it for you guys?" Jorge asked.

"While on the way to the docks, Lady Margaret broke out and batted around our Jeep like an old rusty can," the veterinarian explained. Jorge scratched his fuzzy chin.

"Odd," he noted. "She's not usually hostile. What did you guys do to piss her off?"

"Well, we were trying to get Bakhita back into her pen, and I honked the horn. It got stuck, and she freaked." Jorge nodded his head, understanding.

"I see," he said. "Animals hate loud noises, and dinosaurs are no exception. Must've perceived the Jeep as a threat. Blind with rage, I guess."

"Then, she got in a fight with the big Rex!" Jess continued. "It was so scary but really cool!"

"I figured that out," Jorge said. "Found here delirious from blood loss, lying in the Stegosaur enclosure."

"Is she okay?" Jessi asked, concern in her voice. Jorge patted her on the shoulder.

"She's gonna be fine," he answered. "Patched her up real good. Tended her wound and stopped the bleeding. Last I saw her, she was resting with Bakhita and another little dino in the paddock." He grabbed Gerry's arm gently and pulled him in. He whispered into his ear. "I found something grim at the Rex paddock. The big one got ahold of somebody. Found a raw and torn up leg in the woodwork of the bathroom."

"Oh God," he whispered back. "Anything else?"

"Thankfully, that's all the carnage I found, but this is bad, Ger. The board is gonna throw a shit fit." The two glanced down at a concerned Jessica. "So, where's Hammond at?" Gerry glanced down at the marble floor.

"He's... gone."

"GONE?"

"A helicopter flew over the Center," he replied. "Sorkin says Hammond and his guests boarded it before it took off. It won't be coming back."

"Dammit!" Jorge spat. "I heard Miss Ellie Sattler was here. I wanted to meet her. I hear she's got some really nice legs." He winked at Gerry and nudged his ribs. "I hear she helped you out in the field with the Trike. Eh? Spill the beans."

"Now isn't the time," Gerry said sternly. He paused and then leaned in close to Jorge and muttered softly. "But they were really nice." Jorge clapped his hands and laughed. His composure returned swifty however.

"So how are we getting out of here?" he asked.

"I radioed InGen," Gerry replied. "Help's on its way." Jorge slapped the vet on his back.

"Good man!" he boasted. "I always knew I could count on you in a pickle."

"I'd say this is less than a pickle," Gerry replied.

"More like the whole jar," Jorge replied with a slight laugh. "So who else is here?"

"Well, there's me, you, Jess, Sorkin, her assistant David, and some woman."

"Some woman?" Jorge asked.

"Yeah," Jess said. "We found her on the road passed out from a bite. Nobody I recognize. Could be one of the dock workers or something."

"Bite? Like a dinosaur bite?" Gerry nodded.

"There was toxic alteration present," he replied. "But not like any I've seen."

"Could it be from Dilophosaurs or Compys?" Jorge asked.

"It's not from them. There was no black ink in the wound or foamy saliva. It was something I haven't seen before." Jorge shook his head, running his palm against his forehead. "Sorkin walked me through treating her though. She'll be fine, but when help comes, we'll need to send her by an actual doctor."

"That's all we need. More poisonous reptiles." He sighed to himself. "Also, Specimen 2 is in good shape."

"The Stegosaur?" Gerry asked. He nodded.

"While on break, I drove out to the paddock and happened to catch him."

"It's a she." Jess smirked at Jorge with a triumphant smile.

"She's yours, alright," Jorge said to Gerry. "Anyway, SHE was nearly passed out on the grass. Gave her the vaccine for gastric poisoning, and she's right as rain."

"Thank God I remembered to stock in the fresh ones," he said.

"I'll say," Jorge replied. "After that, things went to hell. Got trapped by an escaped Apatosaur herd and was stuck there for the night. Fell asleep and left the car running. I was out of gas and walked my ass the rest of the way here. Anyway, where is this native woman?" Gerry pointed back to a corner with several crates. Jorge walked past him, intent on seeing who this woman was. His eyes widened, his jaw hitting the floor as he recognized the beautiful face before him. "Nima!"

"Nima?" Both father and daughter asked one another. Her eyes met his, and the two locked their arms around one another in a tight embrace.

"Oh, baby," Jorge said to her, holding her close. "It's so good to see you."

"Como soy yo, el novio," she said softly to him, feeling so relaxed in his arms. Jorge ran his fingers across her soft cheeks, her eyes shimmering as they gazed at him. He rested his head against hers, their fingers locking around one another's. A soft cough brought them back to reality. A very confused looking Gerry and equally confused Jessica stood before them.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Jessi asked. Jorge and Nima scooted away from one another, hot blushes creeping over their faces and necks burning hot.

"Mi amor, it's so good to see you, but what are you doing here?" She looked away from him, finding this question uneasy to answer. The gears in Jorge's head were turning slowly, the Costa Rican attempting to formulate an answer.

"Jorge, I hate to interrupt, but she's been through a lot. I need to ask her some questions about her condition."

"The bite," Jorge said. Gerry nodded. Jorge stepped back, giving the two space. Gerry stood next to Nima.

"That bite on your arm," he asked. "What happened?" Nima's eyes darted around the room. She bit her lip, struggling to make something up to tell him.

"I do... repairs," she said. "They call me because I'm... the best?" Jorge raised an eyebrow. He loved Nima dearly, but her alibi didn't sit well with him. He knew Regis handled the manual labor department, but he knew Nima well enough to know she'd never join up with InGen. Last he recalled, she wasn't all that good with a hammer and nails. It didn't add up to him. Yet, he kept quiet and decided to hear out the rest of her story. "You know what? I don't have time for this." Nima quickly rose to her feet and stumbled a little. Gerry placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Whoa, take it easy," he said gently. "Don't push yourself, Miss... Nima, was it?" She shook her head, her eyes still adjusting to the light. Her last memories were those of dark damp jungle. And sinister glowing eyes. "Help is on the way. We'll be rescued soon." Nima rummaged through the green pack held in her arms.

"There won't be any rescue," she said softly. Jorge eyed her tensely. Something was definitely up. She wouldn't have signed up with InGen or crossed international waters to restricted land space just to say "hi". He found himself with no time to piece anything else together as he found himself and Gerry and Jessi staring down the barrel of a 9mm pistol. "Not for you."

"You've gotta be shitting me," Jorge said. He knew it was too good to be true. Her hatred for InGen ran deep. He was more than aware, but his friends didn't. Nima was very judgmental and quick to both anger and action. If they were out of the frying pan, they were now knee deep in the fire. Jorge knew he had to play it cool if he wanted to keep his friends out of harm's way.

"Um, anybody wanna explain what's going on?" Jess asked, fear in her voice. Gerry shook his head, just as lost and worried as she was.

"Jorge?" Gerry asked, glancing over at him.

"I got nothing," he answered. "Wouldn't be the first time she pulled something out that caught me by surprise." Nima raised an eyebrow at him. Jessica put her hands on her hips and gave him a look. "That... didn't come out how it was supposed." Nima slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. Jorge's words caught up to him. "I-"

"Just stop," Gerry said.


	14. The Trek

"So you two have history?"

"You can call it that." Gerry, Jorge, and Jessica continued through the jungle with Nima bringing up the rear, pistol pointed in their direction. She had forced them all to leave the Visitor's Center and trek through the wild landscape. They were being led but to where, none of them knew. Only Nima knew, and she was being incredibly tight-lipped about it. Gerry had been trying to reason with her since they left, but she remained unphased. Jorge was keeping his cool. He knew how to handle Nima and wasn't worried.

"Please, listen to me," Gerry started again. "You have to take us back to the Visitor's Center. You have no idea what you're getting into out here." Nima shook her head.

"He's got a point," Jorge said.

"I know my way," she said irritably. "I just need you to keep us safe from these creatures." Jorge scoffed.

"Oh really," Gerry said, irritation present in his voice too. "How am I supposed to do that? Electric fences are down. Dinosaurs have free run of the island. None of us are safe here! Do you understand that?"

"Once again, an excellent point," Jorge reiterated. The radio strapped to Nima's belt sparkled to life, static crackling from its speaker.

"This is InGen Rescue Team Alpha trying to reach Dr. Gerry Harding," a voice said. "Obviously the Visitor's Center was compromised. If you're still out there, we'll try to-" Nima shut the radio off. Jess leaned over to her father.

"Dad, if there's a rescue team coming, maybe we could try to leave a trail for them or something?"

"Jess, that's enough," he whispered back, not wanting her to get in trouble. "If we want to keep out of the way of dangerous predators, I'm gonna need to know where we're headed." Nima raised her gun and pointed beyond them.

"Norte," she stated.

"North? To the coast? What for?"

"Don't worry about it," she answered. Jorge laughed to himself. Stubborn and secretive as always. She glanced over at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Makes sense to me" he said. "Rescue team can spot us easier instead of in this cluttered jungle. Besides, we may run into Dr. Sorkin's lab. She can help us out, but we really should have grabbed supplies from the Visitor's Center first. First aid kits, antivenom, guns and ammo."

"I've got all of that right here," Nima said, patting her pack.

"Yeah, for just you," Jorge retorted. "The antivenom you have won't do you any good against the Compys and Dilophosaurs. Plus, that little 9 you're packing? Useless against T-Rex and Triceratops. When the raptors hunt, they get to packed full of adrenaline, they're able to shrug off all sorts of pain."

"You don't think the raptors got out, do you?" Gerry asked, worry in his voice.

"What's so bad about the raptors?" Jessi asked, concern growing in hers as well. Nima tried to hide the concern on her face from his words.

"We've got nothing to fear," Jorge reassured them all. "The quarantine pens run on emergency electric generators. Sorkin's lab is right beside them. If they had gotten out, they'd have gotten her first." He turned to Nima and pointed straight at her. "And YOU'D be dead."

"Rrrfff!" she cried out, clutching the bandage that covered the bite on her arm.

"Bring painkillers?" Jorge asked. "We had some, you know, back at the Center." She shot him a look, but he merely shrugged. Jorge tended to rub the consequences of stupid mistakes in the faces of those who made them. He was determined to do that here, regardless of the gun pointed at them all.

"Take five for a bit, Jorge," Gerry replied, wanting him to ease up. "You're hurt. Let me help you." The veterinarian's arms reached for her bandage.

"Argate!" she called out, raising the gun. Gerry put his hands in the air and took several steps back. "We're going to rest here for a minute."

"Might be more than a minute," Jorge said, looking up at the sky. The sun was gone from it, the last bits of orange fading from the sky and heralding the coming stars. "Dangerous to wander the jungles at night. The lights and fences are offline, as are the feeding systems. Any carnivores running around will be very hungry, and nobody goes to sleep on an empty stomach."

"Just out of curiosity, exactly how many carnivores are on this island?" Nima asked, repressing any sense of worry that threatened to slip out.

"The big and juvenile T-Rex, raptors, pterosaurs, Herrerasaurus, Dilophosaurus, the Compys, Baryonyx-"

"I get it," she said, cutting him off.

"You don't think the pterosaurs would try to eat us, would you?" Gerry asked.

"They're primarily piscivores, but I doubt they'd pass up on some carrion," Jorge replied. "Luckily for us, they're not design to bob and weave between trees. Merely to fly over them, so from the skies, we're safe."

"If we're stopping, I'll need to make a fire," Gerry said. "It'll keep the dinosaurs away." Nima was re-wrapping the gauze around her arm after she had checked her wound.

"Fine," she said, not looking at him. "Just stay where I can see you."

"Yes, because our top vet is gonna go all _Dances With Wolves_ on us and run through the woods prancing with the Velociraptors," Jorge said, helping gather wood. Nima was getting irritated with him.

"You have a problem?" she said sharply. Very calmly, Jorge lifted himself up with two hunks of wood in his arms.

"Well, let's see," he started on.

"Oh boy," Gerry said silently. Jorge was not the person to argue with.

"My good friend saves your ass from a poisonous reptile AND calls for rescue, and you thank him by pointing a gun at his head and leading him through miles of jungle home to some of the largest and most dangerous animals the world has ever known without so much as a "thank you" or information on where we're going." A smirk of triumph stretched across his face.

"You done?" Nima asked irritably.

"Far from it," Jorge replied. "Then, after I've been a few years out at sea, you travel through international water and sneak aboard an island, both without passports. Your best friend in the world, that you haven't seen in years, is here working, and you threaten to blow his brains out if he doesn't comply. That's one hell of a howdy doo to me." The tension in the air was very tense.

"NOW are you done?" Nima asked again.

"I believe it's your turn now to defend yourself or rant about my screw ups. That's how this typically works."

"I have a gun, you know," she said.

"Yeah right," Jorge said. "We both know you're not gonna do anything." Nima had had enough. She quickly jumped to her feet and pointed the barrel straight at him.

"You wanna bet?" Gerry clutched Jessica close. Jorge simply raised an eyebrow at her, remaining unconvinced. He took one step forward, stomping the leaves loudly with his boots as he did. She cocked the gun. Another step towards her, leaving crunching loudly. Their eyes met, the look within them flaring up. Three more slow loud crunching steps, and they were one step away from each other. Jorge raised his hand to the gun, grabbed the barrel, raised it up to his eye level, and held it straight at his forehead.

"I bet my life on it," he said, a smirk beaming on his face. Nima stuffed the gun into her pack, knowing she couldn't do it.

"Whatever," she said. Jorge placed his hand on her shoulder, looking down at her. The look on his face was a soft, comforting one. Gerry's grip loosened over her daughter, no longer afraid. Jorge had stood her down. He was impressed.

"You're not a murderer, babe," he told her. "You're better than all this." His smile was gone. "Why won't you talk to me? What's changed?" Since he had left, Nima had wanted things to return to normal. She just wished all this had never happened. The anger at his decision to join InGen still flared up in her. Seeing him again after several years brought all those feelings back to the surface. Happiness, love, lust, anger, sorrow. They overwhelmed the native girl, and she clutched at the more familiar one.

"I wish I could tell you," she said slowly. "But you wouldn't understand." Jorge crouched down and looked into her eyes.

"Then make me understand," he pleaded. She sighed at him.

"It's not that simple."

"Because you won't let it be that simple."

"And I suppose you could figure it all out, huh?" Nima spat.

"If you let me," Jorge said, keeping his cool. He slung his pack over his shoulder and reached his hand inside. As his hand slipped out, a folded up piece of parchment was pinned between his fingers. "I got your letter. Was all you said in there just a lie? Or have things really changed that much between us?" Nima's eyes just fixated on the letter. His words echoed in her ears. He had actually read it. His voice lowered to a whisper. "By the way, thanks for that little "prize" you left inside. You looked great in it. Still do." His words spread a huge noticeable blush across her face. He smiled softly at her and stood up. He sat on the opposite side of her, the fire starting to sizzle. Jorge sat his pack down and placed his head on it. His hat slid over his eyes, and his glasses were folded up, hanging from his shirt. "Wake me when it's morning."

"Will do," Gerry said, tending the fire. Jess sat down beside Jorge.

"That was crazy at what you did," she said quietly to him. Jorge peaked at her from under his hat.

"It helps to be a bit crazy," he told her. "Plus, I know her too well."

"How well exactly?" Jessi asked.

"Enough to respect her and not divulge her secrets," he stated. "Sorry, kid, but out of respect, I'm not gonna spill the beans on her."

"You must really care about her then," Jess replied. Jorge simply nodded at her. "What were you two talking about over there?" A smirk stretched on his face.

"Oh, just about how she wanted my body, and I wanted hers," he said. "She couldn't keep her eyes off me the minute I walked in the Center."

"Gross," Jessi said. "Get a room, or at least warn me ahead of time."

"No promises," Jorge said with a cheeky grin. "You ain't gotta worry about her, kid. She loves kids and values family bonds. Nima may clutch that gun tightly, but she wouldn't fire a single bullet at either of you. It would kill her to break that bond you two have. I just played along is all."

"You're either crazy or brave," Jess said, shaking her head at him.

"Can't I be both?" he asked. Jessica laughed at him and pulled his hat over his eyes. "Need any help, Dad?"

"I could use some help gathering firewood," he said to her. Jess walked through the underbrush, gathering anything that burned.

"Don't eat the berries. They're poisonous," Jorge called out.

"Aww man," Jess called out. Two more pieces of firewood were thrown onto the embers. Gerry was parting the ferns and bushes, looking for more wood pieces. A nice fat piece of bark was resting under the trunk of a large cycad. The father got onto his knees and crawled underneath the ferns. His outstretched arm reached for the bark piece, his fingers scratching against the edge. The rough texture of the wood scraped his palm as he pulled it towards him. A loud snort and gust of hot air reached his neck. His eyes widened as he raised his head up slowly. His eyes met a set of dull black ones attached to a long skinny green head, moist leaves hanging from the edges of its mouth. Gerry sighed with relief.

"Guys," he called out to the others. Nima reached for the gun in her pack. Jorge peaked out from under his hat, and Jessi peered out from behind a tree . "We have a visitor." A large green head followed Gerry out from the underbrush. The green head formed into a skinny neck which connected to a large bulk with plates running up the back. A disk, dulled by mud caking, was strapped to a plate on its neck.

"Specimen 2," Jorge said, smiling at the animal. Nima stared in wonder at the magnificent beast.

"So you really did cure it," Gerry said, petting the animal's snout.

"Right as rain," he said. Jessi walked slowly over to the dinosaur. Its turned its head to her and blinked.

"What's it doing out here?" Gerry asked. "We're not close to the Stegosaur enclosure. I think."

"Told you," Jorge piped up. "It got out. Ran into the forest in a panic when the Rex was chasing down your Safari car. Good to see a familiar face." Jessica ran her soft hands against the dinosaur's cheek. It grunted softly at her and gulped down a handful of leaves.

"The Stegosaur was suffering from gastric poisoning for a while, Jessi," Gerry told her. "It would be afflicted on and off. To keep track of which Stegosaur it was, we strapped this plate to it."

"That thing could use a bit of cleaning up," she said. Gerry chuckled slightly.

"I agree," he said.

"Does it hurt her?" Jess asked.

"Not at all," her father replied. "Its made of a lightweight polymer. She can't feel a thing. Probably doesn't even know it's there. Stegosaurs have some of the tiniest brain-to-body ratios of any of the dinosaurs. Their brains were the size of walnuts."

"So they're stupid?"

"Not necessarily stupid," Jorge said. "Just simple. Scientists thought, for a while, that they had a second brain in their back. Turns out it was just a large nerve cluster." Jess laughed at this.

"A second brain?" she said between giggles.

"Yeah," Jorge replied. "Go figure, huh? Of course, it wouldn't be the first time paleontologists flubbed up. Sauropods living in swamps, Iguanodon having a spike on its nose instead of a thumb, and there's that whole "thagomizer" thing."

"Thagomizer?" Jessi asked. Jorge laughed, thinking about it.

"Oh, this is a good one," he said. He sat up and adjusted his hat. "The term "thagomizer" was from an old comic strip where this caveman named "Thag" was killed by the spikes on the Stegosaur's tail. Now it's legitimate terminology. What do I know?" Jess laughed more at this. It was a very silly sounding story.

"So a comic cartoon name becomes a scientific term?" The Stegosaurus paid no attention to their laughter, choosing to dine on the leafy greens growing from the bushes beside them.

* * *

><p>Nima had stirred from her rest. The medicine she had applied to her wound had really taken it out of her, as did the trek and wound itself. After watching Gerry and Jess pet the dinosaur, she had lost all energy and slipped into slumber. She rubbed her eyes and rose from a rock she had slept on. She rubbed her ribs, feeling very stiff from sleeping on the rough surface. Gerry, Jess, and Jorge had fallen asleep some time after her. Jess's head was slumbed onto her father's shoulder, both of them at rest. Jorge was crouched behind a large rock, peering over it. A pair of binoculars was in his hand. He glanced over at her and waved his hand down.<p>

"Keep quiet!" he hissed silently. Nima suddenly grew very tense. She reached into her pack and clutched the gun. As quiet as possible, she slipped into place beside Jorge behind the rock.

"What is it? What's going on?" she asked, keeping a level of calmness in her voice.

"We were all sleeping," Jorge said. "Even the dinosaur. It had curled up around the fire. Ten minutes ago, I woke up to a soft irritated groaning. The Stegosaur was standing up, looking mighty nervous. It was staring out there." His hand pointed out into the clearing, the only thing visible being darkness. "I tried to calm it down. Petted its head, rubbed its chin. It wasn't having any of it. Took off through the forest in a hurry."

"What could make the animal so scared?" Nima asked, worry quite prevalent in her voice. "It was huge."

"Either a really big carnivore or several smaller ones," Jorge replied. "The thing is that the forest is way too cluttered for the T-Rex to slip on through, and it's way too quiet for such a large animal. I've heard some slight bush rustling, but that's it. Way too small to be the Rex. Has to be several small animals."

"What could it be?" she asked.

"Don't know," he said, sweat building up on his forehead. "Whatever is out there, it's very good at keeping itself secret. I think something's hunting us, babe." Her hand grasped Jorge's for some form of comfort. It felt warm in his palm. He had missed that feeling.

"How many are out there?"

"I've seen at least three bushes rustle at once in the past five minutes," he told her. "Not sure of exact numbers. I can't tell what species it is, if that's what you're about to ask. Different animals exhibit different hunting behaviors. I don't recognize this. Some sort of scare tactic. Rustle several bushes at once to make it seem like there's a few animals instead of just two or three. As quick as they make noise, they disappear. Been looking through these binoculars nonstop but can't find a single scale on their hide."

"Mind it I try?" she asked, holding her hand out for the binoculars. He placed them in her palm.

"Try it," he said, fishing a bottle of water out of his pack. Nima peered over the edge, hugging the rock closely. She was afraid to be spotted. "You might have better luck with the night vision. Push the button on the side." She clicked the button, and a slight ping sounded off. "Don't keep it on too long. The battery goes fast. That's why I don't use it so much." The world through the lenses was bathed in a green light. The darkness had faded greatly, but it was still difficult to make anything out in the shadows. A bush slightly rustled and stood still as quickly as it started. Jorge's eyes widened slightly. "You see anything?"

"Nada," Nima replied. "The bush rustled, but that was it." Her eyes darted everywhere, but everything was as still as ever. She then let out a sharp gasp and jumped slightly. For a swift second, a pair of glowing yellow orbs popped out from the underbrush. She grabbed Jorge's arm tightly and was hyperventilating.

"What is it, babe? What?" Jorge shook her roughly.

"El Diablo," she muttered. "El monstro!"

"They're not monsters or demons," he reassured her. "Just animals following their instincts. Still, I'm not gonna let us get eaten. Give me the binoculars." She picked them up off the dirt floor, dropping them in her panic attack.

"No, just let me calm down," she told him, clutching her chest.

"Need any help with that?" Jorge teased, eyeing her chest. A smirk spread on her lips, and she gently punched his shoulder.

"El pervertido," she said, pursing her lips playfully. Slowly, she peered over the rocks, eyeing the bushes carefully. "It's gone."

"What did you see?" Jorge asked again.

"Two big glowing yellow eyes," she answered. "The same from the animal that bit me. That's all I can make out about it. It was too dark the night it bit me."

"Well, it's not gonna get a second taste," he said. "Two glowing eyes... none of the animals we have give off that effect." That wasn't completely true. Only one species of dinosaur on the island had those glowing eyes, but they were all euthanized. Supposedly. Did some escape and Sorkin miss them? Jorge doubted it. She was very thorough with all data, double checking everyone's. Even her own. She was very reluctant to kill them, and she manages the quarantine pens. Jorge doubted she had kept any around. Despite her protests against the board, she was a "by the rules" woman. In the past, she had been a big hippie, but that was so long ago. Now, she was a scientist. That mentality had faded with age. Still, these thoughts troubled Jorge. Nima left Jorge to his thoughts, peering out into the darkness. Minutes passed by, and there was no sign of life. A bush then rustled. Then another. She darted glances between the two. That haunting pair of eyes returned. She gasped sharply again but kept her composure this time. The pair was then joined by another. The glowing orbs rested side by side. It looked like a four eyed monster stared at them from the underbrush. A third pair blinked on and then faded away in the blink of an eye.

"Three pairs out there," she told him, sinking down behind the rock. "One went away, but there's two more out there." She pushes the binoculars into his chest, and he rose slowly up. Their camp was barely covered by a faint orange glow, the fire slowly fizzling out. Jorge kept looking out into the horizon but saw nothing. "See them?"

"No, not yet," he told her. "Ooh yeah! I got 'em!" A pair of orbs darted from a tree to the left and disappeared behind a bush. The animals were out there, darting through the underbrush. A pair of glowing orbs popped out from a bush and stared straight at his direction. He dropped down, wiping sweat from his forehead on the back of his hand. "I saw one. It stared straight at me."

"What are those things, mi amor?" she asked. Jorge shook his head, not sure himself. When he found Dr. Sorkin, she had some questions to answer.

"We need to get moving," he replied, staring up at the sky. The black of the sky was now fading into a soft blue. "Just act natural. Pretend nothing is wrong and keep composure." Nima nodded and got to her feet. "Once we find Dr. Sorkin, we'll get answers."

"And where would she be?" Jorge smiled at her.

"Norte," he said with an eyebrow raised cockily up. She shook her head at him and smiled playfully. Jorge walked over to Gerry and Jess and shook them. "Come on, guys. Wakey wakey. Sadly, no eggs and bacey. Time to go." Gerry groaned softly, waking from his slumber.

"Five more minutes, please?" Jess asked groggily.

"Fine, but we'll be headed off without you," Jorge replied. Gerry gently lifted Jess to her feet.

"Up you go, sweetie," he said ernestly. She rubbed her eyes, still very tired. "What time is it?"

"Half past," Jorge simply said.

"Half past what?" Jessi asked.

"Good question," he said with a laugh. Nima rifled through her pack, quickly shifting over the various items inside.

"Where-where's the radio?" she called out. She pointed her gun at Gerry and Jess. "Which one of you has it?" Gerry shielded his daughter with his body.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he told her. "None of us have it." He leaned close to his daughter. "Please tell me you don't have it."

"I may have shoplifted, but I didn't take the radio," she replied.

"Here you go," Jorge said, holding it out to Nima. She simply stared at it, dumbstruck.

"But-"

"You're a very heavy sleeper," he told her. "You know that?" Nima glared at him.

"I thought we trusted each other!" she said.

"You still have a gun pointed at my friends," Jorge said sternly. "And me. Plus, you won't tell me why you're here, why we're headed north, or what you want. You also kidnapped three innocent civilians and trespassed onto private land with no permit." She sighed heavily at him.

"What I have to lose is too important for this," Nima simply said. "Let's just go. Now." Jorge shrugged and led followed Gerry and Jessica through the forest. He had no clue where he was headed, but neither did any of them. He glanced back at a very angry looking Nima and pointed two fingers at the surrounding jungle. She stiffly nodded and surveyed the surrounding foliage while occasionally taking quick glances at Jorge and the others. The scientists leaned in close to Jess and whispered quietly to her.

"Good job on snatching that radio from her," he said. She smiled back at him.

"What can I say? I'm good," she answered. "Thanks for taking the heat for the theft. She might have killed me or Dad if you hadn't come through."

"I told you, kid. She wouldn't have done it. Can't stomach it, no matter how tough she claims to be. And you knew I'd come through. Not gonna let you bite the bullet on my account. I look out for my friends."

"You mange to radio for help?" Jess asked.

"Told them about the fire," Jorge answered. "They'll be looking for the smoke trail." The smoke from the dying fire was still travelling high over the canopy. The faint blue sky was now stretched completely over the island, the blackness clinging to the small corners of the horizon. Black clouds of smoke hovered in the air. A few miles away, a helicopter hovered past a mountain. The three mercenaries inside were making their way towards it.


	15. The Bone Shaker

The morning long trek through the jungle stretched far throughout the day. The sun was starting to set once more over the island. Jorge, Gerry, Jessica, and Nima continued onward. There had been no sign of any safe shelter since they had left the Visitor's Center. The only human structure they had encountered was the construction site they had just entered. A large stone gate similar to the one on the main road hung open, the construction zone surrounded by tall bamboo walls. A crane sat in the dust, the fading sun glinting off the yellow metal. This construction site was standing over the side of a cliff, and there was no way to get down.

"There's no way down from here," Gerry said. "We're going to have to find another way around."

"How long will that take us?" Nima asked him.

"I dunno. At least half a day." Nima shook her head. That was too much time to lose.

"There's an old goat path that will take us down," she said, pointing her gun around them. Gerry seemed puzzled. He hadn't heard of anything like that.

"She's right," Jorge said, noting the puzzled look on his face. The four walked up to a set of guard rails overlooking the cliff. Torrents of water rushed from openings in the sides of the cliff to the ground below. Large dinosaur bones were built into the rock wall under them with a metal track running through them. A large sign in red and yellow bold lettering read "Bone Shaker". A look of shock overcame Nima's face.

"What the-"

"Ahh dammit!" Jorge shouted out. "They did it! I can't believe it!"

"You didn't know about this?" Nima asked.

"If I did, you can bet your ass I would've put up a fight to prevent this." A mix of fury, disappointment, and sorrow ran through Jorge's head. "Not like it would have done any good." Jess seemed unphased at their reactions, gawking out at the spectacular site.

"Oh wow!" she said. "How come you didn't tell me about any rides like this, Dad?"

"Well, none of the rides are ready for the public. I didn't want to get your hopes up." Jorge rubbed the bridge between his eyes roughly with his fingers, muttering to himself.

"That path was ancient!" Nima said, pouring over the construction. "Carved into the stone! It survived storms, earthquakes..."

"Damn it all, Hammond," Jorge said in irritation. "Not the ancient ruins." The path was one that Nima's people walked along when they still lived on Nublar. Jorge and Nima walked along it with her father as he herded the goats along it. The two had fun chasing the goats, one of their favorite activities as little kids. Jorge wondered what else Hammond had bulldozed over.

"Look, it's too late to go around and too dangerous to go back," Gerry said. "Just use the radio. Contact the rescue team. It's our best chance of survival."

"Why don't we just ride the coaster down?" Jorge asked.

"The coaster isn't ready for people to use," Gerry said.

"We're not gonna go full throttle down the tracks," Jorge brought up.

"It looks like the only way," Nima said. "So you find us a safe way down, or I'll throw you down." Jorge laughed to himself. Her words rung hollow to him.

"Yes, toss him down into the refreshing pool of water below," he said mockingly. "We get stuck up here, and he gets a nice bath."

"Are you finished?" Nima asked, her hands on her hips.

"Considering I may have found the way down, yes," Jorge said, walking over to a control panel. The blueprints were taped to the side of the panel, with instructions written in red marker. They were overlooking the track system. "Flip some of these bad boys, and the track will be all set." A red light stuck from the top of the panel, but there was no glow from it. "Power's off."

"If I can get the power back on, we might be able to set the ride to maintenance mode," Gerry said.

"Maintenance mode?" Nima asked.

"Slows down the track speed, allowing the employees to maintain and work on the tracks," he answered.

"Let's do it," Jorge said, clapping his hands together. Distant hooting calls echoed from deep within the forest. "Gonna have to work fast."

"Agreed," Gerry said. "Can't go back. Too dark, and it sounds like the dinosaurs are getting ready to hunt." Jess's face grew pale at her father's statement.

"Are they... hunting us?" she asked, not really wanting to know.

"Well, they're still a good ways off, but we shouldn't stick around here for long," Gerry said, laying a warm hand on Jessi's shoulder. Jorge let go of the blueprints he had been pouring over while the three of them talked. He turned slowly to them and polished his glasses.

"Let me make something perfectly clear," he said, slipping his glasses back on. "If we're gonna make it to the coast, we're gonna have to work together. That means no more hostage situation, death threats, waves of paranoia, or pointing guns at a teenage girl's back." He really emphasized that last bit. "Teamwork is instinctual in these predators. A lack of teamwork on our part just makes the kill all the more easier. Understood?" Nima nodded. She had no desire to meet up with any more dinosaurs but also wanted to ease things between her and Jorge. "Nima, you play lookout for us. Gerry, you look around for a big button that says "On". Jess, just stick close to me." Nima clutched her gun tightly and stood by the large gate. Jorge went back to the console with Jess at his side.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"Not that I can think of," Jorge said. Tucked away on a loudout wheel used for switching cars were the utility cars. They had no seats instead sporting metallic bars to secure cargo. A full passenger coaster rested on the tracks, waiting for the magic button press to fly down the tracks.

"How many more rides were scheduled?" Jessi asked.

"Well, there was this one and the Safari Tour," Jorge said. "The River Ride was a bust, problems involving the Aviary and Dilophosaur paddock."

"What were they?"

"Well, pterosaurs weren't exactly welcome to people just coming through their bird cage, and the Dilophosaurs spat that awful tar gunk that blinds you. Needless to say, it's been hell." A few flipped switches would have linked the cars up to the main tracks. However, if they got the power on, a metal scaffolding place over the cars would hinder their progress.

"What's with that scaffolding?" Jess asked.

"Probably slid into place to secure the tracks," Jorge said. "Safety measure. Kind of sloppy, if you asked me. "Spared no expense" is starting to sound more and more like "Cut corners as much as possible" to me." Jessi laughed at his irritation. "Find anything, Ger?" A panel on the back of the crane sparked to life with the flip of a switch.

"Crane is working," Gerry said.

"Good. Now do something useful with it." Jorge wanted to yell something but bit his lip. He wasn't too keen on her attitude but knew that being spiteful wouldn't ease the tension.

"Hey, let's try to hook the crane to the scaffolding and lift it up," was his suggestion.

"Sounds good to me," Gerry said, swinging the winch over to the tracks and lowering the hook down.

"I got a job for you," Jorge said to Jess. "Think you can hook it up to that bar?" He pointed down at the scaffolding.

"I'm on it," she said, running down to the tracks.

"Careful, Jess!" Gerry called out. Jess swung the hook under the bar, the pointed end of the curved hook secured snugly around the metal. "Alright, now stand back!" Gerry waited until she was back with Jorge to lift the scaffolding. The bar slipped around the hook and fell into the pool below with a loud splash. A nasally snarl called out from below. A red colorful flash zoomed through the bushes below them and disappeared into the underbrush.

"What was that?" Nima asked.

"Predators, I'd imagine," Jorge said softly. "Saw one scuttle into the underbrush. Couldn't tell you which one it was, I'm afraid."

"I don't think I want to know," Jessi said unsurely.

"Sure you do," Jorge said casually. "Then you know your odds of survival." Jessi gulped. "Any luck with that power, Ger?"

"Nothing," he called out. Jorge shook his head.

"Go help your old man out, Jessi," he told her. She walked over to some maintenance equipment. Wooden planks and boards were propped up against all sorts of equipment. Jess pulled a board down. It felt to the dirt with a soft thud. Behind it was only a small unmarked box. Another board fell to the dirt, revealing an amusing little sign. A sign with Mr. DNA, the park's little carichature, held a large yardstick beside him. Lettering above him read "You must be this tall to ride the Bone Shaker." "Hey, Mr. DNA! I love that guy!"

"Who?" Jess asked.

"An old doodle Wu did on his biology notes," Jorge said. "Hammond took a shining to him and decided to make him our de-facto park mascot." Jess pushed down another board, finding a large black structure secured by two doors. A triangular sign with an electrical bolt was bolted to one of the doors.

"Think I found the power!" Jess called out. She grabbed the handle and pulled on it, but the door would not budge. She shook the handle slightly and pulled on it some more, but it was still jarred. "It's stuck! I think it's locked."

"I don't have a key," Gerry called out.

"Me neither," Jorge added. His gaze wandered over to Nima. "Pick up any lockpicking skills during your whole jungle survival training?" She shot him a look but couldn't help but smile. Jessica lifted up a big rock that sat squarely in the palm of her hand. Her arm swung back, and she swung it towards the small windows in the doors. One shattered, leaving a good sized hole for her to stick her hand through.

"What am I looking for in here?" she asked.

"Two large switches, but you probably can't reach them like that," Jorge called out. "Gerry, swing that crane over to the door, and we'll pry it open."

"Wicked!" Jess said excitedly.

"Alright, but Jess, you get back when we hook it on."

"Yeah, yeah," she answered. Gerry sighed as he operated the controls, the crane rotating over to her location. He pushed the lever forward, the winch lowering the hook down. The hook dangled in front of the metal doors. Jess stuck the large hook through the opening of the glass. "Ready!" She quickly ran to her father's side. The door came flying off as the crane was raised. The severed door hit the ground with a dull thud. Inside the large structure, two panels hung from the wall. A gray box labeled "Grid Override" with a red lever on the front. Jess pulled the lever down until it clicked into place. A larger panel with a big red switch was beside the Grid Override box. Jess grabbed the handle of the switch and pulled it down. The light on Jorge's panel blinked on, glowing a bright red.

"Welcome to the Bone Shaker!" Richard Kiley's automated voice said over the loudspeaker.

"Looks like we have power," Nima said.

"All aboard!" Jorge said over the now functioning loudspeaker, fiddling with the switches. Nima, Jessica, and Gerry climbed onto the roller coaster. "Fasten your seatbelts!" Gerry secured his seatbelt with a loud click. Nima and Jess raised an eyebrow at him.

"You heard the man," he said. The two girls sighed and fastened the seatbelts.

"Thank you for choosing Jurassic Park for your touring weekend. Please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times, no flash photography, and if you happen to encounter a carnivorous dinosaur, God help you." Jorge was really hamming it up.

"Whenever you're ready, pendejo," Nima called out playfully.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, ma'am," Jorge replied cheekily. He pressed the yellow button on the panel, causing the maintenance track to lock into place. The metallic lock echoed loudly. As he pressed the green button, the electrical hum of the cars' engines rose. Jorge vaulted over the side and climbed into one of the passenger cars. He reached for his seatbelt but strangely enough found no tongue. Instead, there were only two buckles. A bewildered look stretched across his face. "Are you serious?" He held the buckles up to the others. Nima let out a loud laugh. "Spared no expense." He pulled the buckles out firmly and tied them together around his waste. The cars began to coast down the track at a leisurely pace. Jorge gripped his hat fiercely, not wanting to lose it. His eyes widened at the sight below them. Climbing onto the tracks was a pair of large red dinosaurs with long skinny necks and heads. The top of their red backs faded into a yellow, with wild brown patterns twisting along their scaled flesh.

"Aye dios mio! What are those things?" Nima called out. Jess and Gerry had spotted them too.

"Herrerasaurus. Mid Triassic. One of the earliest carnivores. Able to digest bones, which most other dinosaurs and even modern animals cannot do. They lack feathers due to that genetic trait not manifesting itself into the dinosaurs' genetic code until the early Jurassic-"

"Not the time, Jorge!" Gerry called out. Their cars were speeding right towards the animals, which stood there waiting for them. "We need to switch the tracks!" The cars raced under a piece of scaffolding that hung above the tracks. Caught between pieces of the metal was a long rod. The cars swung around the scaffolding a second time with Gerry quickly snatching up the rod. They climbed up, nearing a large switch. This switch was used by maintenance to help alternate track use when they worked on the ride. With a heavy swing, Gerry smacked the switch and changed their course. The cars made a hard turn downwards but not without picking up an extra passenger. The Herrerasaurs pounced the speeding coaster. The force of the animals' combined weight hitting the rails forced one of the parts to dislodge from the rest, hitting the water with a loud splash. One dinosaur lost its balance and followed the rail piece down. The other scrambled onto the seats and crawled up towards them. With a shrill snarl, it pounced on Gerry, locking its jaws around the rod. The vet pushed back against the animal, but the creature's muscle strenght and bite force was starting to overpower him. Gerry swung him arms over and kicked the dinosaur in the side, forcing it to tumble off the coaster and crash into the pool. Its partner was sitting at the water's edge unharmed and watching it swim towards him. It let out an irritated snarl and sprinted into the jungle, its parner following close behind. They all breathed sighs of relief and slumped in their seats.

"Think they'll have that on the tour?" Jorge asked. Jess shrieked loudly, pointing back to the loading dock. Another pair of Herrerasaurs had entered the construction zone and leapt at them. One missed the jump and fell into some boxes. The other dinosaur landed in the car right in front of Jorge. Nima shot at the animal, the bullet whizzing by its head. The missed shot sliced the rope of a hanging scaffolding above them, sending it rocking back and forth above them. A small part of it swung into the Herrerrasaur's flank and knocked it off the coaster, sending in tumbling into the pool below. The other Herrerasaur had caught up and was hanging onto the back of the coaster, climbing towards them. It snapped at Nima, almost getting its jaws around her neck. The dinosaur reared up to chomp down on her when it nailed its head against the scaffolding. The creature fell from the coaster into the pool below in similar fashion to the pair before it. Its partner as well as the pair from before watched him from the underbrush. Jorge peered at them curiously. He counted four dinosaurs. They had five. A loud shrill call resonated from above. The fifth Herrerasaur was perched on the dinosaur skull the coaster drove through. With a thud, it hit the car in front of Jorge and stared the scientist down.

"Look out!" Jess shouted, pointing ahead of them. The dinosaur followed her pointing finger and looked behind it. Jorge peeked around its bulk to see. Their coaster was coming up on the gap caused by the missing track piece. With a frightened shriek, the Herrerasaur leapt from the cars to the loading dock, abandoning them to their fate. It scrambled up and stood on safe solid ground, watching them rush down the tracks.

"Coward!" Jorge shouted at it. The dinosaur merely stared at them. The coaster skidded to a halt in front of the opening. The cars' weight tipped it over the edge, sending the first car dangling over the side. Jorge shouted out, hanging onto the safety rail for dear life. His makeshift belt harness had given out on him, but the bar had saved him. Jess leaned over the edge, reaching for his hand.

"Jess, wait!" Gerry shouted.

"Gimme your hand!" she called out to Jorge.

"You can't do it, kid!" he replied. "Save yourselves!" Jorge made the mistake of looking down. The four Herrerasaurs at the bottom were gathered at the water's edge, waiting for the fall.

"Dad, we gotta help him!" she called out. Gerry pulled her back and leaned over the edge, reaching out for Jorge. Nima climbed over the cars and held Gerry's legs. Jorge slowly climbed his way up to Gerry, his fingers inches from the vet's hands.

"Get the crane!" Nima shouted to Jess.

"What are you doing?" Gerry called out to them.

"It's the only way we can get out of this!" she replied. Jess vaulted over the side and climbed to the safety of the solid foundation of the construction zone. Her little legs sprinted to the crane's controls as quickly as possible. A red flash whipped at her legs, sending her sprawling towards the ground. The Herrerasaurus waiting for them at the top swished its tail. Jess scrambled to her feet, the animal slowly tredding towards her.

"Gerry, you gotta let me go, man," Jorge said. "I'll end up dragging you down! No sense getting us all killed on my account!"

"We're not leaving you behind!" Gerry shouted, his grip tightening on Jorge's hands. The front car's couplings snapped and fell into the pool below. Waves splashed the dinosaurs' feet below as the creatures stared curiously at the fallen car.

Jess had been backed into the cab of the crane, the Herrerasaurus lurking around outside and clawing at the door. A loud bang resonated through the air. The dinosaur leapt for the bushes and scurried off. Things grew quiet outside the cab. The image of a burly man with a beard came into view from the window. Jess opened the door and stepped outside. The burly man stood over her, a soft expression on his face. Gerry, Jorge, and Nima walked over to them with a young man with a buzz cut accompanying them.

"Are you guys the rescue team?" Jess asked. The younger man smiled.

"Billy Yoder, InGen Rescue Team, at your service," he said. "This is my pal Oscar." Oscar nodded.

"Jorge Michaels, Gerry Harding and his daughter Jess, and Nima," Jorge said.

"She with you?" Billy asked. Jorge let out a slight laugh. Nima glowered at him. Oscar secured her hands behind her back with a set of handcuffs. "Don't look so glum. You guys are getting a one way ticket off this crazy freakshow island."

"Works for me," Jorge said. Nima stared at the large burly man, a fire in her eyes he knew all too well. It was a look of intense anger. Jorge took the time to really notice this "Oscar". He squinted his eyes from behind his glasses, memories in his head rushing along. "Wait... I know you."


	16. Rough Flight

The shaken gang of mercenaries and wanderers trekked through the jungle. Billy had told them of the plan to pick up Dr. Sorkin and fly to the mainland. Jorge walked beside Nima, still sealed tightly in her handcuffs. Oscar led them to the chopper, and Billy talked with Gerry at the back of the line.

"I didn't know you had been here before, Oscar," Billy said.

"Helped move natives out of the island," Jorge said. "I remember him from when I was a little kid. Only less hairy."

"He killed two of my people to get us out of here," Nima spat. Oscar ignored her, not concerned with what she had to say.

"So what did you call those things that were chasing you? Hairy-sauruses?" Billy asked.

"Herrerasaurus from the Triassic Era," Gerry explained. "Now that we've bred them, we can easily classify them as early therapod."

"Although, to be fair, the sharp teeth were a bit of a dead giveaway," Jorge added. Gerry smirked.

"Makes sense to me. How bout you, Oscar?" Billy asked. Oscar was silent. "Oscar?" He did not reply, instead fixated on the chopper sitting before them. The doors were hanging open, with deep jagged scratches on the side panel. No sign of anyone else but them.

"Where's Danny?" Oscar asked.

"Who?" Jorge asked.

"D-Caf. Our pilot," Billy answered. "D-Caf!" Billy stepped towards the chopper. They heard no reply. Billy had a bad feeling about all this. "You take the chopper. I'll take the perimeter." Oscar nodded, cocking his rifle. He pointed the barrel of his gun at Nima and then waved it towards the helicopter. Reluctantly, she shuffled towards the copter with Oscar in tow. "Stay put". Gerry nodded. Jess and Jorge stayed beside him. Nima's cuffs were fashioned to the chopper seat. She scowled at the husky mercenary, who continued to pay her no heed. Her gaze focused on the numbers written on the inside of the chopper door.

"HU-121, eh?" she asked. "I haven't seen one of these in a while." Oscar said nothing, focused on the tracks in the dirt. A trail of them led from the forest to the chopper. There were lots of them. The prints were circling the chopper batteries lying in the dirt. Billy and Oscar had told him to change the batteries to get the chopper back to working condition. The Pteranodons flying in the clouds had roughed up their copter a bit in the air while searching for the survivors, shorting out some of the wires. She looked around the interior of the chopper, taking note of the faded papers and crushed soda cans thrown into the back. "Boy, your pilot's a real slob." A smirk pursed her lips, trying to get some sort of rise out of Oscar.

"You keep your mouth shut," Oscar growled at her. The two stared at each other sternly. Oscar glanced down at the pistol lying in the dirt. "Don't even think about it." Oscar lifted it and cocked it in his hands. "Danny's... and it's jammed." The gun was not clicking. Something was stuck in the chamber. Billy poked the barrel of his AK-47 into the ferns and bushes for any animals. Nothing was lying in the underbrush. No animals or anything. Almost completely normal save for the large splotch of blood on one of the large rocks. Billy shuffled through more of the leaves. Pinned between two rocks was a helmet. Standard issue army camoflauge.

"Oscar..." Billy said, intently focused on the helmet. Billy took note of the footprints leading from the underbrush. The trail went right by the rock pile with the blood and helmet. "I don't like what's going on here, man. D-Caf's gun is jammed. There's a blood trail over there, and he never leaves his helmet just lying around. NEVER." Oscar stood up and stared at him firmly.

"D-Caf is M.I.A.," he stated. Billy just stared at him, dumbstruck at what he just heard.

"M.I.A.?" he repeated angrily. "No way, man! He was supposed to stay with the chopper! He's gotta be around here somewhere..." A loud thundering boom interrupted his train of thought. Something was on their way.

"Billy, you feel that?" The response was another loud boom.

"We've already lost Bravo Team and-and-and-"

"Billy!" Another loud boom.

"Look, we are NOT leaving without D-Caf! I mean, we agreed, right?" Billy's anger continued to rise. "Oh man. I will not let you turn this into Nicaragua all over again!"

"AT EASE!" Oscar shouted, having enough. Billy's face relaxed. His anger had gotten the better of him. The booming continued and was growing louder. "We've got a situation here." Jess, Jorge, and Gerry turned around. The booming was coming from deep within the jungle and was approaching quickly. "Inside the chopper! Now!" Jorge sprinted for the copter, with Jess and Gerry in tow. A loud chirping came from the ferns. Flocks of compys scattered from the underbrush and hopped around under their feet. They had loaded up in the chopper, ready to go. Billy hopped into the pilot seat and flipped the rotor switches. No lights were on in the cockpit.

"Oscar, I've got no power!" Billy shouted.

"I'm on it!" he replied, hopping out and sliding towards the batteries. His eyes darted between the three batteries sitting in the grass. "Ahh, which one is it?" His hands hovered over them, not sure where to start. The distant thundering footsteps did little to help his concentration. He grasped the closest one on the grass and clicked it into the slot panel. His thumb pushed the air pump hooked into wiring to jumpstart the system. He pushed it until it could no longer click. "Try it now!" Billy flicked a few switches, but no lights were on.

"That battery's not responding! Try another one!" One of the darkened silhouettes in the shadows swayed and fell. Leaves flew on the wind and swayed in the dirt. "Oscar, did you see that? I don't like when stuff like that happens! Pick up the pace!" Oscar slid the battery out and dropped it into the dirt. He reached for the middle one and clicked it in, pumping it like before.

"Try again!" he shouted. Red lights came on in the cockpit. Billy flipped the switches, the engine humming to life. The propellers began spinning, dust lifting into the air.

"Woo! We got power!" The thick sudden boom shaking the nearby ferns cut the sense of triumph.

"Captain, she's on her way!" Jorge called out.

"What do you think it is?" Jessi asked.

"T-Rex. Without a doubt. No other animal stomps that loudly in rapid succession." Jorge looked past the seats up at Billy. "Anytime you're ready, boss!" A low grumbling resonated from the bushes. A large brown hulking form stomped out of the greenery, its thick form balanced on large muscular bipedal legs. "T-Rex. Called it." The animal stared at them hungrily, a low rumble echoing in its throat.

"Now isn't the time, Jorge," Gerry said. Jorge merely shrugged, trying to keep his cool. The Tyrannosaur's loud snarl shattered that cool in an instant.

"Billy, please!" he shouted.

"Here we go!" Billy yelled, the dinosaur roaring at the copter. The chopper lifted quickly into the sky, spinning wildly in the air before regaining control. The dinosaur could only roar in frustration as the copter flew out of range of the hulking beast. "Yeehaw!" The copter flew over the forest, the crew within sitting in silence. Nima's eyes darted around the chopper cabin at everyone within.

"You're a good little thief?" she said to Jessica with a smirk. "You know how to open handcuffs?" Jorge and Jess smirked in reply, satisfied in how the tables have been turned.

"Whatever happened to my strong independent woman?" Jorge asked. Nima frowned at him. Jorge merely shrugged.

"So who's left?" Billy asked, wanting to break the tension.

"Dr. Sorkin and her assistant," Oscar stated. "Then we get the hell out of here."

"I'm gonna miss this park," Jorge said. "Despite all the craziness that went down."

"What about D-Caf?" Billy asked. Danny's disappearance kept eating away at him. After all the carnage they found at the Visitor's Center, he and Oscar were very torn up. The tracks on the dirt around the copter were the same bloodprints they found inside. The same animal had attacked their fellow squads. They had yet to find any answers on what it was.

"D-Caf's dead," Oscar said, plainly and simply. Billy frowned, not satisfied at this resolution.

"I like your tattoos," Jess said to Oscar. The burly man glanced over at the small girl who smiled innocently at him. Nima smirked at this.

"Why don't you tell her what your tattoos mean?" she asked. Oscar shook his head and looked out the window.

"What DO they mean?" Jess asked, interested in the story behind them. Nima frowned and hunkered down in her seat.

"The gravestones are for the people who died beside him. The skulls are for those who died because of him." Oscar said nothing, remaining stoic. Despite his calm exterior, her words were grinding at him. "Tell us, where you gonna put D-Caf's tombstone? You're running out of room." Oscar stood up, fed up with her tone.

"You wanna repeat that?" he said gruffly and angrily, rearing back a fist to strike her with.

"I'm normally against domestic abuse, but if you lay her out, I'd say she earned it," Jorge said. Nima frowned at him. "You brought it on yourself."

"Hey, come on," Billy said. "It's been a rough day, and everyone's just a little tense! Let's keep it together, guys."

"I'm not afraid of you two," Nima said.

"But you were so terrified of the lizards down below," Jorge teased. ""El Diablo!" Give me a break." She shot him a look, but he was unmoved. He leaned over to Gerry and muttered silently. "She always had to get the last word in. When she didn't, she'd use "unfair advantages" to win the argument, if you catch my drift."

"Well, I'm more of a lover than a fighter," Billy said calmly. "But Oscar... You know, I've seen Oscar knock out someone's teeth for a lot less. When I say "teeth", I mean "face"." Gerry glanced from Oscar to Billy, a bit suspicious of their rescuers. These things he was hearing had him a bit unsettled.

"Don't be fooled," Nima said, noticing the uneasiness written on his face. "You're in the company of killers. You're no safer than you were in the jungle."

"You had a gun pointed at us at all times," Jorge interjected. "Hypocrite."

"How long are you going to cut me down?" she asked.

"How long are you going to be a bitch to everyone?" Jorge asked, fed up with her hostility. "I know you're going through some tough times right now, but we all are at this moment. There is no need for the attitude. Either drop it or drop yourself overboard." Billy laughed to himself.

""Company of Killers" has a nice ring to it," he mused to himself. "It could be a hit single.

_Yeah!_

_You're in_

_the_

_Company of Kiiilleeeerrrss!_

Yeah!" Nima shook her head at him.

"You need further proof that these men are crazy?" Nima continued raving. "This is what they do! They hurt people, and then they joke about it!"

"You know, I honestly didn't see them really hurt anybody," Jorge retorted. "You were rougher with us in the jungle pointing a gun at our backs than they have been since we found them."

"Speaking of jokes, Oscar, tell 'em the one about the priest, the stripper, and the bucket of frogs," Billy joked with a laugh. Oscar hid a smile in his beard. Jorge laughed to himself.

"Now that's a recipe for success," he joked.

"Pay attention. This is how men act when they lack the courage to face themselves."

"No, I like to look at myself," Billy laughed. "I mean, check out this gorgeous face! Who wouldn't?"

"I'm surprised you can see at all with your head stuck up your-"

"That's enough!" Oscar shouted, rising to his feet, fists balled up tightly.

"Oh boy," Billy said.

"What are you gonna do?" Nima spat. "Kill me? You did that to me once already." Oscar roared loudly at the Hispanic woman.

"You're crazy!" Oscar was restraining himself from throttling her. Billy gave him a look, shaking his head at the man. Oscar took a deep breath and sat back down.

"I'm thinking of getting a butterfly tattoo," Jessi spoke up, wanting to break the tension. "On my ankle-"

"I'm gonna carve the name of the people you killed into those skulls of yours! Then we'll-"

"Try it!" The two were in each other's faces, anger torn on their faces.

"Then we'll see how proud you are!"

"Hey!" Gerry shouted, trying to bring order to this madness. Jorge merely laid back in silence, his hands behind his head. "Listen, there are still more people who need our help. Whatever your issues are, you can work them out when we get to the mainland. And no, you cannot get a tattoo." Jessi frowned at her father in disappointment.

"Besides, a butterfly tattoo is so lame," Jorge added. "You should get a dinosaur skeleton spiraling around your ankle."

"Don't encourage her," Gerry said. Jorge laughed to himself.


	17. Tangled Webs

"If you're one of the scientists, why do you dress like a park ranger?" Jess asked. Jorge merely shrugged, adjusting the brim of his khaki safari hat.

"I dig the whole safari look," he merely said. The chopper began to descend onto a dirt clearing in front of Sorkin's laboratory. They only needed to pick up Sorkin and David, and they could be on their way. Sorkin stepped out of the entrance of her mobile lab and waited for the rotors of the copter to slow. Gerry, Jorge, and Jessi stepped out of the chopper to greet her.

"Dr. Harding," she said, trotting up to them. "Oh thank goodness, you're safe. After we lost contact, I was worried something had happened to you." She then took notice of Jorge standing behind Gerry. "Jorge? You're here, too? I thought you had boarded the boat." Jorge let out a small laugh.

"Hammond really piled up the workload on me," he said. "I was wanting to go back to Sorna, but I couldn't with all that paperwork."

"What did Hammond load you up with?"

"He wanted hardback copies of all the dinosaurs," Jorge sighed. "Typed and organized in alphabetical order." Sorkin grimaced at the thought.

"You poor poor man," she consoled.

"You're telling me," he joked.

"Did Hammond approve your policy to reintroduce native modern wildlife to both islands?"

"Hate to interrupt the small talk, but we have had quite a day, Dr. Sorkin," Gerry said. "We need to wrap up here."

"You're telling me," Sorkin replied. "Systems are down all over the damn park, and dinosaurs are running free!"

"Sounds like quite the play date," Jorge said. "Bring the kids! Fun for all!" Jessi clutched Gerry closely, very shaken from running from dinosaurs and being led at gunpoint through the jungle.

"Hey, don't worry, kid," Sorkin said, smiling softly. "We're fairly geographically cut off from the rest of the island out here. Nothing but herbivores around these parts." Billy and Oscar stepped up behind Jorge, leaving Nima cuffed to the chopper railing. "What's going on here?"

"There were some... complications..." Gerry said.

"That's some kooky definition of "complications" you got there," Jorge said. "These guys are Billy Yoder and Oscar, whose last name I don't know."

"We're the band," Billy said. "Where do we set up?"

"Dinner and a show," Jorge said, referring to how low on the food chain they were on Nublar. "And here I thought beans were the only musical food."

"Great. You found somebody that shares your humor. Good to see you've finally made a friend," Sorkin said dryly.

"What does that make you?" Jorge joked.

"Actually, InGen sent us," Billy said, getting serious. "We're the cavalry coming to the rescue."

"I'm not going anywhere," Sorkin said straight up. This caught them all offguard.

"Doc, is there a gas leak in your lab?" Jorge asked, breaking the stunned silence.

"I'm serious," Sorkin stated adamantly. "This part of the island is pretty remote and is a long way from the predators. I'm perfectly safe, and I don't need saving." Jorge scoffed a laugh.

"You sound like Nima," he said, moving his head in her direction. Nima merely shook her head.

"That's not a good idea, ma'am," Billy said, a very unsure look on his face. He hadn't expected this.

"Well, since you're here, you can start loading the stacks of beauracratic InGen paperwork that's taking up valuable space," she said with a sly smirk. "They were supposed to have sent for this stuff months ago." Jorge grimaced uncomfortably at the thought of so much paperwork. He remembered his hard copies of the dinosaur files remained unfinished.

"Listen, lady," Oscar spoke up. "We don't have time for this. You either get in the helicopter peacefully, or I will personally knock you out, put you in cuffs, and throw you in!"

"He will," Jorge spoke up softly, holding up a limp finger. Sorkin furrowed her brow and boldly stepped towards Oscar, not afraid.

"You lay one hand on me, and I will have you so ass deep in litigation that you'll be reading legal text for a decade!"

"She will," Jorge said softly. Oscar and Sorkin shot him a look. Jorge looked away uncomfortably.

"It it'll help us get off this island faster, we'll move your boxes," Billy said, stepping in front of Oscar. "Where are they?"

"Over there at the loading dock," she said, nodding at the direction to the side of her lab.

"You heard the lady," Billy said, patting Oscar on the back. The two walked over to the loading dock, leaving Sorkin and Jorge standing there together. Jess trotted on after the two soldiers.

"Sorkin, I need to discuss something with you," he said.

"Actually, I needed to talk with you as well, Jorge."

"What about?" he asked, not expecting her to have questions for him. Sorkin sighed slowly.

"Things are aren't what you'd call "traditionally stable", you know."

"You don't say?" Jorge asked with a smirk.

"Jorge, this is serious!" she said.

"Fine, fine," he said, waving his hand limply at her. "What's got you bothered?"

"Power failures have really played havok with the systems here," she said to him. "From my lab out here, I'm able to monitor island activity here and even directly affect some of the systems."

"How the hell did you get that sort of setup?" Jorge asked. "I can't even get an office close to a vending machine."

"The board will give "troublemakers" like me whatever I want if I keep quiet," she smirked.

"Just my luck I'm a model employee," Jorge said with a smirk and a slight laugh. Sorkin scoffed teasingly at him.

"Anyway, things here have gone a bit on the sour side," she continued. "We're losing power on my end. It's being rerouted to other systems, like the Visitor's Center. It's empty so there's no need for the center to have power. Without power here, I can't monitor the quarantine pens and deal with animal life support systems."

"So without those systems, the animals could die out?" Jorge asked, concerned. Sorkin nodded gravely.

"Thanks to Wu," she said bitterly. "I don't know about you, but I'm not letting these animals die because of our neglect."

"We still have Sorna," Jorge said. "We can make more." Sorkin scowled at him.

"I'm surprised at you!" she said. "You're the biggest dinosaur expert in InGen. Maybe even the world. You'd just leave your creations in the dust to rot?"

"I don't like it either, but they can be replaced," he continued. "You and I can't."

"Tell that to the board," Sorkin spat. Jorge shrugged. She had him there. "We've got to save them. And to do that, I need your help."

"Why me?" Jorge asked. "David can't help?" Sorkin grew quiet for a while, her face growing somber.

"David's... missing," she said after a few minutes of silence. Jorge exhaled heavily, the news catching him offguard.

"Oh no," he said softly. "Not another one." Sorkin's face grew with worry.

"Another one?" she asked. "There are others?"

"I was at the Rex paddock," Jorge started. "Rex did a number on one of the tour cars. Found the remnants of a leg in the bathroom ruins." Sorkin inhaled sharply and covered her mouth with her hand. "But is it possible David's alive?"

"I-I don't know," Sorkin said, obviously very distressed over all this. "He went down into the underground supply chambers a couple hours ago. We were on radio contact with each other when he went dark. He could still be down there." Jorge was quiet for a bit, the wheels turning in his head.

"And you want me to go down there..." Sorkin nodded. "Why not you?"

"I'm the only one who can operate the systems from up here," she said. "As soon as power comes on, I have to calibrate it. Otherwise, we could overload some systems." Jorge sighed and rubbed his forehead. He was not wanting this trouble. It was hard dealing with the dinosaurs and Nima. Now, this was on his plate.

"Well, why not Billy? Or Oscar?" Sorkin scoffed at this suggestion.

"I need this fixed, not blown up," she scoffed. "Besides, I don't trust them, and I don't want to have Gerry separated from his daughter." Jorge rubbed his forehead some more, still contemplating the idea. He sighed and turned to her.

"I'm no tech expert... but I'll see what I can do." Sorkin smiled softly.

"Thank you," she said, leading him to her lab. "The power down there had fluctuated, so you'll be going in there blind." Jorge followed her through the doorway to the inside. "Well, you would without this." She opened a drawer and pulled out a large black flashlight and placed it in his palm.

"You only have one in black?" Jorge asked. "What if I drop it and lose it in the dark?"

"Just don't drop it," Sorkin said, pushing a walkie talkie into his hands. "You may be down there for a while. The tunnels go on for a bit."

"I need any tools? Wire cutters? Pliers?"

"It's all buttons," Sorkin told him. "I can walk you through it."

"Works for me," Jorge said, clicking the flashlight on and off. "Cover for me, will you? Don't want the others freaking out."

"Take this as well," Sorkin said, handing him an orange gun.

"What good's a flare gun going to do down there?" he asked.

"The stench, loud burning sound, and bright light will hold off any animals you run into," she said. "Not that you'll run into anything down there. It's just-"

"Just in case," Jorge said, understanding. He slid the flare gun into his pocket, sweat building on his palms. Sorkin lead him to the back of the lab to a large steel door. A black and yellow sign was taped to the top of the doorway, reading "Power Supply". Jorge gulped nervously, shaking his arms around. "Stay on radio contact with me at all times, okay? I don't want to be alone down there."

"I'll be with you every step of the way," Sorkin said, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Good luck." Jorge smiled and nodded. Slowly, his hands reached for the door and pulled it open. The heavy steel door creaked open sluggishly, the metallic creak echoing deep into the shadows. A few steps of the staircase were visible in front of him before the rest faded into the thick black shadows. Jorge clicked the flashlight on and shined the light down inside, looking for any sign of activity. He saw nothing and sighed heavily. Jorge lifted his foot up and sat it down onto the cold metal stairs.


	18. Push to Close

The walkie talkie in Jorge's hand crackled to life.

"Sorkin, you read me?" The radio was silent for a bit. Small beads of sweat had accumulated on Jorge's forehead. He had always been afraid of the dark, since childhood. Jorge was not very superstitious or religious, but his mind played havoc with him when in the dark. At times, he cursed his imagination.

"Of course, Jorge," she replied. A sigh of relief escaped Jorge's lips. "The circuit breaker for restoring power on our end is in the quarantine pens, which that tunnel runs under. David had gotten deep into the tunnels when he lost contact."

"The tunnels that deep?" Jorge asked, taking slow tentative steps down the creaking metal staircase.

"No, we've tested this before," Sorkin said. "We had a good signal. Something must have gone wrong with his radio."

"Dead batteries. Or he dropped it and it broke."

"I sure hope so," Sorkin said, worry clear in her voice. Jorge shined the flashlight down the dark corridor. It led farther down, anything beyond the radius of his light lost in the shadows.

"You don't seem too keen on sending David down here, Doc," Jorge said, trying to keep the conversation going. He didn't want to be alone in the dark.

"I didn't exactly "send" David down, you see," she said. She was quiet for a bit on her end. "I had turned my back for a minute to tend the files when the radio came on. He had already deep in the tunnels when I knew where he was. I told him to come back, but he wouldn't listen."

"Tried to play hero. Now, he's in the dark." Jorge was barely a few feet away from the large door, hands shaking slowly. "He wanted to fix this mess, Sorkin. You can't blame yourself for that."

"But I should've kept a better eye on him!" she said. "He's missing because of me."

"We'll find him, Laura," Jorge said assuringly. "It just may take a while." The light from the flashlight had finally made contact with a wall at the end of the hall. A large red valve with two pipes running up to the ceiling was all that decorated the end of the hall. They turned and led to another tunnel. "Would've been nice to have somebody down here to watch me ass, though."

"Those mercenaries wouldn't have seen the need for such a task," Sorkin said. "They care nothing for this island or the animals. We can't trust them, Jorge."

"Hey, come on. I know Oscar looks pretty rough around the edges, but those two are both some solid guys. Billy saved us from the Rex. You worried they'll sabotage the island or something?"

"That's exactly it."

"Oh, now you've been watching too many movies, Doc," Jorge said with a laugh.

"You're on an island with dinosaurs, Jorge," Sorkin replied flatly. "We're living a movie."

"Or one crazy book," Jorge said.

"You know how InGen is, Jorge. Always looking to cut corners or pull the plug on anything. Those two could have ulterior motives."

"We've still got Site B," he stated.

"It's not that simple," Sorkin said adamantly. "What happened here could mean they'd pull the plug on the other animals too."

"Over my dead body," Jorge replied sternly. "These animals are my life. I'll go down with them if I have to."

"That's exactly what I like to hear," Sorkin said with a chuckle. "How far are you?" Jorge looked up at the ceiling, still following the pipeline.

"Not sure," he said nervously. "Can't see the door anymore. Or anything, really. Following the pipes."

"Those will lead you down for a while," she said. "Keep on going." Jorge crept slowly down the stairs, the metal creaking under the weight of his boots.

"Why aren't the lights working in here?"

"The quarantine pen electrical system is not connected to the primary system," Sorkin explained. "It was designed to run on its own power supply in the event that the main power supply failed. Both the pens and this lab are independent."

"And now the backup generator is failing," Jorge said.

"Yes and no," she said. "A couple of days ago, the entire system shut down. It took me a while to configure the system to run off of the lab's power. When primary power was restored to the rest of the island, I thought the quarantine pens would switch back to relying on it."

"So this whole thing's been running on your lab's power," Jorge stated.

"Exactly," Sorkin continued. "The only way to switch back to power is down where you are. By the time I had realized, systems were already failing."

"The quarantine fences are still on, are they?" Jorge's mind began racing. If the raptors were out, they were in deep. The Rex and Herrerasaurs were one thing, but the raptors were on their own playing field.

"I believe so," Sorkin said. "It's been hard to monitor them with all these system failures and organizing data, but I'm sure the animals are still in containment."

"That's not a "yes", Doc," Jorge said, his eyes darting back and forth around him. "I'm down here in the dark, and there could be raptors running loose. I'm only one man and armed with a flare gun."

"Keep it together, Jorge," Sorkin said, noting the worry in his voice. "If you're so worried, then hurry faster to the generator and reactivate it."

"Can't you re-reroute the power from the Visitor's Center to here?"

"I don't have that access," she replied. "I'd have to be at the Visitor's Center to send it here."

"Why didn't it automatically switch back to primary power?"

"My guess is a programming error," Sorkin said. "With no connection to primary and with auxiliary power being drained, mine is all left standing. When I figured out my lab was being used as a battery, I only thought it was for the quarantine pens. Turns out it's been powering plenty of the other systems in the park as well."

"Main power, auxiliary power, independent quarantine power, and your lab's power," Jorge mused to himself. "Think one of those would tide the park over long term."

"My lab can run off of its own power for a few weeks," Sorkin said. "But the combination of the quarantine pen use and the other systems' leaching away has reduced it to a few days."

"How much more time does your lab have?" Jorge asked.

"A day. Maybe two."

"Anything lower than "two" is no good for me," Jorge said.

"Except for raptors, I'd bet," Sorkin said with a laugh.

"Provided they're the Sorna kind," Jorge replied, letting loose a small chuckle. "They're not as aggressive." The conversation the two had had made the trek into the dark a bit more bearable. The flashlight hit a door at the top of a staircase. "Think I found where I reboot the system." His footsteps echoed and creaked as he climbed the metal stairs. "Now, exactly WHERE is this circuit breaker?"

"A storage bunker sitting between the pens," Sorkin answered. Jorge reached the doorway and pushed it open. He found himself inside a large concrete bunker. "There should be a hallway leading to the circuit breaker." As if on cue, Jorge spotted it. Light were flickering on and off farther down.

"Power seems to be on here," Jorge said. "Although some lights seem to be damaged. Now, will rebooting this system reconnect all systems to primary power, even the lab and the quarantine pens?"

"Systems here are running on the bare minimum processes," Sorkin said. "I'd have to connect our systems here to the primary power systems to let our own systems recharge. We won't automatically connect, but I can configure us from up here."

"Just make sure we can keep the raptors contained and us safe," Jorge said softly. He found himself whispering into the radio, walking slowly through the dark and looking swiftly all around him. His eyes were playing tricks on him, shadow patterns being warped into images that unnerved and scared him. The scientist was struggling to breathe and move, for he had reduced his breath to being inaudible. "Have yet to see David ye-" He didn't finish the word. "Nope. Cancel that. Here he is... or was." The concrete floor was stained with a dark red, the room reeking of the stench of decay. David Banks was lying on his back over the splotch of blood, his torso torn wide open. His arms and legs were contorted into weird twisted shapes. His body seemed to be buried in some sort of makeshift nest. It didn't resemble anything he had seen from the animals on the park. Across the room, the walkie talkie was sitting, the antennae pointed at David's body. Jorge shuffled around the body, never taking his eyes off of it. All while watching the mangled corpse, he reached down for the radio and pushed the button. "Doc... this is David's radio..." He heard Sorkin inhale sharply on the other end, a soft weeping barely audible on the other end. "Something got him. I think something got out of the pens, Sorkin."

"Then work fast," was her reply. "With luck, we can control the quarantine pens. I... I'll mourn David later."

"You and David seemed rather close," Jorge said. "Didn't know he was into older women." Sorkin sniffled slightly on her end. Jorge frowned sadly, his intent to lighten the mood failing. "Sorry, Laura."

"It's fine, Jorge," she replied. "You're helping, and that's all that matters. We'll deal with David later. Just leave his body alone for now and deal with the circuit breaker. We need that power." The flickering light in the room had gone off, bathing the room in shadows. Jorge shined his light over David's body. It didn't seem to have been munched on, only torn up. His eyes shifted in a confused manner. David's abdomen had been sliced wide open, exposing the soft internal organs within. He twisted the head of the flashlight to adjust the light focus. Peering into the open abdomen, he saw several white objects. Jorge was unsure if they were bones, not being able to get close to the body. The smell was overpowering, his khaki shirt lifted high over his nose. He shook his head and looked away, shuddering at what his eyes saw. The shadows were playing tricks on him again, making him believe David's eyes had twitched around inside his skull.

"I gotta get out of here quick," he muttered under his breath.

"Say again, Jorge," Sorkin said. "I didn't hear you." Jorge rounded a corner and came into full view of the circuit breaker.

"Found the circuit breaker," he replied. A large power grid system stood before him with several names with buttons scrolling down to the bottom.

"Now, Jorge," Sorkin began. "in order to restart the system, you have to throw a switch, but you can't throw the main switch by hand. You have to pump up the primer handle in order to get the charge."

"The charge starts up the circuit breaker, which allows us to configure the system," Jorge guessed.

"Right," she replied. "The handle is large, flat, and gray." Jorge looked around the side of the large circuit breaker. Close to the bottom, a panel with three different colored buttons sat on the side. The handle was to the right of the panel, pointed towards the ground. "Pump it about four times." Jorge got down to his knees and put his hand under the handle. He pushed up and forced the handle up. It was stiff and hard to move anywhere. After it reached the top, he pulled it down to the bottom.

"One... two... three... four..." He pumped the system and locked the switch into place. "She's charged, Captain."

"You're doing good, Jorge," Sorkin said. "Now, under the words "Contact Position", there's a round green button. It says "Push to Close". Pushing it will jumpstart the system and allow us to reconfigure the system back to primary power." Jorge stuck the flashlight under his armpit and shined the light over the panel. A large green button sat to the right of the yellow button and above the red. Jorge held his thumb over the button, waiting on the go ahead. "Push it." With a loud click, the power grid lit up with the names of various park establishments. Two read "Quarantine Pens" and "Mobile Labs". Jorge clicked the glowing red square buttons beside the names, which lit the names up.

"I've configured some stuff on my end," he said into the radio. "Everything else seems to be in order over here-"

"Hold on, Jorge! Some things have come up! I'll-I'll get back to you!" The radio went silent. Jorge's heart skipped a beat. He didn't want to be alone down here.

"Come on, Doc! Don't leave me down here!" he said into the radio. Silence was his only reply. He just kneeled on the floor before the circuit breaker, a bit scared to look behind him. "Okay... power's online. Systems are restored, and we're not in danger of going dark. Sorkin just needs to configure some things. We've got this." Despite his pep talk, Jorge still sat on the floor, frozen in place. Slowly, Jorge turned to look over his shoulder. His sharp gasp echoed loudly in the room as he scuffled into the back corner of the room. His heart was beating in his ears, the only thing he could hear. His soft panting was raised to a frantic hyperventilating. Two big glowing orbs stood in the shadows before him at the end of the hall. He recognized them from the jungle. Nima had first spotted them. The eyes stared straight at him, not blinking or anything. Jorge's breathing was heavy, and his fingers were sprawled out widely, clawing at the concrete wall behind him. He was too scared to blink, confronted by whatever this thing was. For several minutes, they just remained where they were. The eyes stayed at the end of the hall, blocking his escape. The scientist's hands slowly reached for the flare gun in his pocket. He clutched it close to his torso, hugging it like it was Nima. His eyes struggled to find any form to the creature at the end of the hall. It was pitch black at the end, save for the glowing yellow eyes. Jorge gulped nervously, fear clutched in his heart. He had to get out. The second he pulled the trigger, the room lit up as the flare flew from his corner down to the eyes. In the split second Jorge blinked, the eyes were gone. The end of the hallway was bathed in a glowing red smoky light. It was completely empty. In a split second, Jorge vaulted from the floor and sprinted for the flare. The panicked scientist slid into the wall and grasped the flare in his hands, waving it in front of him as he ran for the door. Jorge shot another flare down into the tunnels out of fear. He took the burning flare in his other hand and waved the two around him like a madman as he dashed down the halls. The flares waved around in his hands like crazy. The sound of his boots echoing on the hard cold metallic floor dominated the tunnels. The hairs on his neck stood on edge, his mind racing with fear at what was behind him. He never took a look back, hell bent on reaching the door. A loud scream burst from his chest as he saw the first flare fizzle out and die. He knew the next wouldn't be far behind. His thoughts were interrupted as his body ran into a hard metal surface, and he tripped into the light. Finding himself back in Sorkin's lab, Jorge chucked the dying flare into the dark shadow below and slammed the metal doors shut. His hands flew swiftly across the door as he secured the padlock. He even went so far as to jam a shovel in between the door handles to keep whatever was within from bursting out. The terrified scientist shuffled away from the door and leaned against the wall behind him, slumping to the floor. Jorge loudly panted to himself, his head slumped back and resting against the wall. His chest was damp with sweat, the beating in his ears starting to fade. Jorge looked back at the sealed door, peering at it for any sign of activity. No banging, scratching, or any sort of noise or movement. It was quiet, as if nothing had ever been inside. His eyes didn't leave the door. He continued to stare at it, expecting whatever was down there to burst through. A rush of air through the vents startled him as he clutched the wall in surprise. Jorge sighed to himself and relied and climbed to his feet. As he burst through the doors, he found Gerry, Jess, and Sorkin standing around looking at the sky. "Job's done. I hope." They all turned to him.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright, Jorge," Sorkin said to him.

"Laura, I think something was..." Jorge then took notice of the large green hadrosaurs loose behind them. "...Why are the Parasaurs out of their paddock?" Gerry let forth a soft whistle, curious to see if Jorge's reaction would be the same as his was.


	19. Lysine Reversal

Jorge leaned against the side of the Parasaurolophus paddock, his forehead resting between his thumb and fist. He shook his head in disbelief at Sorkin.

"Jorge, I understand your stance on this, but-" Jorge held up two fingers, wanting a minute to contemplate her decision. He breathed in and sighed heavily through his nose and opened his eyes to look at her.

"Why...why would you do this? I-I-I don't-I don't under-why? Just why?" Jorge was simply awestruck with disbelief, barely able to formulate sentences.

"The lysine contingency was wrong!"

"It was a safety measure. A GOOD one. To prevent them from escaping."

"They're on an island in the middle of the Pacific. I highly doubt they're going anywhere." Gerry had been less than inviting of Sorkin's decision to reverse the lysine contingency as much as Jorge had been. "Besides, it's already been done. Now, every dinosaur on the island can survive on this island without us." Jorge shook his head. Too late, considering the lysine cure is now in the local water supply. Plus, she did have a point. He highly doubt they animals could or would swim all the way to the mainland.

"Exactly what's lysine?" Jessi asked.

"It's an amino acid necessary for survival," Gerry told her. "You get it in your food."

"What does this lysine thingy do to the dinosaurs though?"

"To save time and make it easier on people, we just say it stops the dinosaurs from producing lysine," Jorge said. "However, most people don't know, even myself for a while, that lysine is not produced by the body. It can only be ingested, unless you're a plant."

"The animals cannot get lysine from the plants or each other due to Wu's modifications," Sorkin added. "Wu designed a modified lysine-"

"Which InGen personally engineered and patented," Jorge interrupted.

"To keep the animals in check," Sorkin continued. "They can only survive on our lysine supplements, so in the event they somehow made it to the mainland, they would fall into a coma and die without our supplements."

"How do you get the lysine into the animals?" Jessi asked.

"Tablets," Jorge said, holding his pointer finger and thumb a little bit away from each other, leaving a small gap. "The herbivores are handfed while the carnivores eat livestock that eat the tablets. The livestock are also modified with the same system."

"If they can only survive on your specific lysine things, why are you so worried about them escaping?" Jess asked.

"Murphy's Law," was Jorge's replied.

"Oh please," Sorkin scoffed.

"Well, now the animals don't need our supplements," he continued. "Which means our grip of control over them has loosened."

"This isn't a dictatorship, Jorge. This is a wildlife preserve," Sorkin said.

"We still have to keep these animals under control. And how far up the list of wildlife does this lysine reversal go?"

"What's done is done, Jorge," Gerry said. "I'm not exactly fine with it either, but it can't be changed." Jorge sighed and shrugged. Sorkin and Jess talked to each other while heading into the Parasaur's paddock to treat the water supply with the lysine solution. Gerry had kneeled down beside a Parasaurolophus's foot and examined her toe. The animal would slightly touch the ground and would bellow in pain.

"What's eating her?" Jorge asked, kneeling beside Gerry.

"Sorkin says her toe is broken," Gerry said, pointing towards one of the toes. The middle of one toe was swollen, the flesh slightly bruised and pulpy looking. Jorge grimaced.

"That looks bad," he noted. "Sorkin say how long it's been like this?" Gerry shook his head. "So what's your take on the lysine reversal shtick?" Gerry sighed.

"Honestly, I'm not sure either," he said. "I care about these animals too, but the lysine contingency was our best bet in control."

"I hate to say this, but I think the lethal gene would've been better for control," Jorge said. "If it ever got past the drawing board." The lethal gene was Wu's original proposal for a means of control for the dinosaurs. The gene in the animals' codes would act as a kill switch in the event of a breakout or rampage. Programming the lethal gene proved to be too expensive and time consuming, with all the test subjects dying before birth. Sorkin threatened to leave InGen and expose the Jurassic Park project to the media if the letha gene not scrapped. The idea was overturned in favor of the lysine contingency.

"Don't let Sorkin hear you say that," Gerry told him. "She'd never let you hear the end of it. Besides, the aftermath of what the lethal gene would do would be too costly for Hammond. Dinosaurs aren't cheap, you know?"

"Yeah, well I'm starting to feel like we are, though," Jorge scoffed. "These animals are my life's work, but the people need our protection more." Gerry nodded in agreement.

"You wouldn't happen to have that medical briefcase on hand, would you?" he asked.

"Fraid not," Jorge replied. The Parasaurolophus stood straight up and bellowed loudly.

"Woah, girl! Take it easy!" Gerry said, gently rubbing her thigh.

"Her injury must be really bothering her," Jorge said, running two fingers as delicately as possible over the injured toe.

"DAD! JORGE!" Jessi shouted out.

"Gerry! Jorge! Run!" Sorkin called out. Jorge glanced over at them, watching them jump around and wave their arms from atop the water tower. He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively at them.

"I can handle her," he called out. The animal kept turning its head wildly, glancing in several directions. "Rub her belly or something, Ger. It works with dogs. I figured it might-" Jorge looked over his shoulder to see a sight that almost made his heart leap from his chest. Poised in the bushes and ready to pounce was a Velociraptor, clawing at the dirt with its feet. "Oh shit!" The animal leapt onto the Parasaur's back, clawing at its hide. The herbivore stumbled and fell to the ground, the raptor biting at its neck. Gerry shuffled to his feet, knocked to the ground by the commotion.

"Behind you!" Sorkin called out. Two other raptors crept from the underbrush to investigate the noise. Jorge and Gerry were separated by the Parasaur as it struggled against the raptor onslaught. Jorge pointed back to the paddock and mouthed "go". Gerry turned and ran inside, the other raptors in hot pursuit.

"Dad, run!" Jess yelled, fear prominent in her voice. With the dinosaurs following Gerry, Jorge had a clear opening to run to the paddock. The raptor looked up from the struggling Parasaur and snarled at him.

"What? Green meat not good enough for you?" Jorge said, trying to keep calm. He quickly shuffled over to the utility building and slid inside the door. He slid to the floor, panting heavily. The walkie talkie fumbled out of his pocket, and he held it to his face. "Doc? You guys read me?" Static jolted out from the speakers before a response came.

"We're fine!" she replied. "Gerry's up here with us. Where are you?"

"In the utility building," he said. "Can't do much from in here, I'm afraid. Got any plans?"

"We're working on it as we speak," she answered. "Listen, don't worry about us. Just keep going. We'll meet you in the tunnels."

"I'm not just gonna leave you guys up there at the raptors' mercy," Jorge said.

"If you try to do anything, they'll just go after you. We're going to head into the tunnels. We'll see you inside. Just keep going." Jorge swore under his breath, not wanting to leave them behind. He popped open the flare gun. Only two left. If he let them off, they'd come over to him and cut off the others. His head just kept spinning, trying to find some way to help. "You still there, Jorge?"

"I-I'm going," he said over the radio. Reluctantly, Jorge scrambled to his feet and sprinted down the scarcely illuminated hallway, heading into the tunnels. "You guys better be here like you said, or your ass is grass!"

"We'll be fine, Jorge," Sorkin said. Jorge kept on running, kicking himself with every step he took that brought him further from them.


	20. The Tunnels

The world began to fade away from the dark fuzziness that had consumed his mind. Slowly, his awareness was returning. An incredibly sharp pain was stemming from his forehead. As he rubbed it, he felt a tender scar. The pasty feeling of dried blood caked his fingers as he rubbed them together. His memory began returning after his depth perception had kicked in. At some point during his mad dash away from the raptors, Jorge had tripped, landing on his head. The left temple on his glasses frames was wobbly. Thankfully, it held together. He rose to his feet, placing his safari hat upon his head. A muffled muttering could be heard through the wall beside him. Stumbling slightly, he walked over to a nearby door and slid through it.

"Jorge!" a feminine voice shouted. To his right was Gerry, Jessi, and Sorkin. He sighed a breath of relief.

"Oh, thank Christ you guys made it out alright," he said, rubbing the pain from his forehead still. "Where's Nima and the marines?"

"Their chopper went haywire," Gerry said. "Flew off into the jungle." Jorge spat on the floor.

"Dammit." Their protection and his girl were now in limbo somewhere across the island. This did not settle well for him. Glancing nervously over his shoulder, Jorge shut the door behind him. Their newfound escapees put the scientist on edge, but the fact they couldn't open doors kept him calm. "Is there any sort of good news?"

"We're not far from the marine exhibit," Sorkin spoke up. "I know for a fact that the phone there is in working order." She glanced up at the ceiling, thinking over something. "At least it was..."

"Ahh hell," Jorge muttered. The lack of clarity did nothing for him.

"Well, can we get there from the tunnels?" Gerry asked. Sorkin nodded, which helped Jorge's peace of mind greatly. "All right then. Lead the way. I want to get us out of here as soon as possible. And no more science projects, okay?" Sorkin rolled her eyes at him, walking down the tunnels with the three of them in tow.

"Sure would love to hear your radio show right about now, Laura," Jorge said, cracking a smile. "Would help my mood."

"Yeah, why don't you do it anymore?" Gerry asked.

"Wait, you had a radio show?" Jessi asked.

"Well, it wasn't really a radio show," Sorkin explained. "I'd hack into the park intercom and play choice cuts from my record collection. Lately, I haven't had the time."

"Did you really have to show Artie Bridges how to do it?" Gerry asked.

"Believe me, I regret it," Sorkin said flatly, shaking her head. "But how was I to know how bad he was? He begged me, saying it was his dream to be in radio."

"He should stick to managing the janitorial group," Gerry said with a slight chuckle. "He's awful."

"Aww, but I love Artie! His commentary was hilarious!" Jorge said.

"There are reasons why dreams are just dreams," Sorkin said. "He'd actually record his show ahead of time, so he could broadcast during work hours." Jessi glanced up suddenly, hearing something. The others heard it too. A slight scuffling could be heard in the ducts. Gerry placed a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Probably just a rat," he told her.

"Park's full of 'em," Jorge said.

"Dinosaurs aren't the only invasive species InGen brought to the islands," Sorkin spoke.

"You think that with all these carnivores, there wouldn't be so many rats," Jessi said.

"Goodness, no!" Sorkin blurted. "Those rats are filthy, contaminated with disease. Our dinosaurs already struggle with various health issues. It would play havoc with their natural diets."

"If we allowed them to eat the rats, it would solve a lot of problems," Jorge interjected. "Besides, dinosaurs consumed small mammals in their time. Not much would change."

"They also weren't exposed to our modern day diseases," Sorkin brought up.

"We feed them goats and cows."

"Genetically modified goats and cows." Jorge shook his head. "You'll have plenty of time to balance out the ecosystem later."

"How did the rats get here? Are they native?" Jessi looked at them in curiosity.

"Thankfully not," Sorkin scoffed.

"Much like on the Galapagos, rats were introduced to the islands when the ships came over," Jorge explained. "They hid inside food shipments and storage containers when they were loaded onto the ships and had a field day when they hit landfall."

"How do you deal with them?" Jessica asked.

"Maintenance is always setting traps down here," Sorkin answered.

"Dr. Sorkin, can I ask you something?" Jessi asked.

"Of course."

"You talk about Dr. Wu a lot," she mentioned. "You don't seem to keen on him."

"Wu and I have our... "differences"..." Jorge rolled his eyes, smirking flatly to himself.

"You seem to care more about the animals than he does. Why weren't you Chief Geneticist or whatever?"

"Here we go..." Jorge muttered under his breath. Sorkin shot him a look. He looked away from her, acting nonchalant.

"Well, I'd say Jorge cares more about these animals than anybody," she admitted. "You'd be a better chief than Wu." Jorge nodded at her compliment but felt she was too hard on Wu.

"You'll never let go of that lysine thing, will you?" he asked.

"Him wanting to modify their genes to make them more docile didn't help either."

"Okay, touche," he said, nodding. "It's mostly about the frog thing though, right?"

"Damn straight."

"Frogs?" Jessi asked.

"Cloning a dinosaur is costly and time consuming," Jorge said. "When we extract a new genetic sequence, it's got lots of holes in it."

"Hammond didn't have the patience and wait for us to complete every code," Sorkin spoke. "We only managed to fill out one sequence. It was a complex process to gather the DNA but simple to organize it when we had it."

"Cross-reference all of the DNA gathered and organize them into several different genomes," Jorge butted in.

"Correct," Sorkin said.

"Why not just fill out one genome thingy and clone it over and over again?" Jessi asked.

"Diversity," Jorge replied.

"To have the same animal over and over again would be boring," Sorkin answered. "No variety or genetic diversity."

"So it's more of a science experiment thing," Jessi said with a slight laugh. Sorkin and Jorge exchanged glances and shrugged.

"My technique would have been safer, but it would have taken time the board of directors didn't want to spend." Sorkin's tone was condescending, at its least.

"It would have come into play during Phase 2," Jorge brought up.

"Phase 2?" Jessi asked.

"Next phase of the park," Gerry said, wanting to throw his hat into the ring. "New attractions would be opened, and the current wave of dinosaurs would be replaced with genetically pure versions."

"Now, we may never get that far," Sorkin scoffed. Jorge said nothing, knowing he couldn't convince Sorkin otherwise.

"Even Hammond's "spare no expense" policy has limits, I guess," Gerry added.

"Exactly," Sorkin said. "Wu's technique was far too risky. We still don't know all of the effects they caused. But like it or not, Wu's idea won Hammond and the board over. They wanted a fast solution rather than a safe one, and it's what they got. Wu got Chief Geneticist, and I took to the field."

"I alternate," Jorge added. "I love lab work, but field work is just more satisfying. Studying the dinosaurs up close sounds like such an adventure." The whole time they had been walking, Jess had been counting all the doors they've passed. There were a lot of them.

"Where do all these doors lead?"

"The maintenance corridors," Gerry told her. "The park's essential systems are in there; electrical, water, AC."

"The tunnels on this side of the island are for transporting animals, personnel, and food," Sorkin added. "That's why they're so big. They're separate from the maintenance side to prevent accidents." Jorge laughed to himself, taking note of the irony.

"I still think we should head back to the Visitor's Center," Gerry said. "InGen is bound to start there when they... well... don't hear from the... rescue team..." Gerry grimaced from the rather awkward silence he just created.

"These tunnels don't run all the way back there," Sorkin answered. "I also wouldn't rather risk any more overland travel."

"Good point," Gerry said. Sorkin looked into her lab coat pocket, feeling around for something.

"Anyone seen my cigarettes?" she asked. Jessi's eyes widened, and she quickly glanced away. "I swear I brought mine with me." Jorge glanced over at Jessi, raising an eyebrow. She fidgeted nervously, giving him a pleading look. Jorge shrugged and kept his mouth shut, shaking his head disapprovingly. Gerry looked at her, rather surprised.

"Didn't realized you smoked."

"Normally, I manage to duck out a few times a day," she admitted. "We've been rather "preoccupied" of late, so I haven't had the chance."

"Where'd you last have them?" Sorkin patted her lab coat pocket.

"Right here, I thought," she said, searching her other pockets.

"Maybe they... fell out when we jumped from the water tower?" Jessi said nervously.

"You guys jumped from a water tower?" Jorge asked.

"And outran a T-Rex," Jessi smirked. Jorge held up his hands.

"Watch out," he said teasingly. "We got a badass here."

"I'm probably better off without them," Sorkin said, shrugging. Sorkin and Gerry rounded the corner, leading down another hall. Jorge stopped before turning and looked back at a guilty looking Jessi. She looked at him pleadingly again.

"Please don't tell..." she whimpered. Jorge sighed and shook his head.

"Just make it quick, okay?" he asked. Jorge wasn't too keen on her smoking but reminded himself she was a teenager.

"Thanks," she said smiling. She tiptoed over to a maintenance door and slipped behind it.

"Hey, Ger! Sorkin!" Jorge called out. "How about we take a break? Rest a little?"

"My legs are killing me," Sorkin admitted. "Why not?"

"Let's do it," Gerry said. Sorkin took a pill bottle from her pocket and popped a tiny pill in her mouth.

"Care for a lysine supplement?" she asked, holding her hand out to Gerry. Gerry looked at the pills, pondering them. "Sure. Why not? With all this running around, my muscles probably need whatever protein I can give them."

"Speaking of lysine, the contingency reversal deal. Exactly, how many animals will it affect?" Jorge kept mulling the idea over in his head. "Like, say, pterosaurs?" Sorkin sighed.

"No," she said. "I would love to help them, but I know I can't. My formula targets Superorder Dinosauria exclusively. If I tried to account for them, I might have affected other reptiles. Although, it would be a simple change."

"See, hold on," Jorge interrupted. "When you say things like that, I get nervous."

"Relax, Jorge," she reassured them. "It won't come to that." Jorge and Gerry exchanged worried glances, not completely convinced. "If I decided to do that, I wouldn't sneak around or involve you. I'm sorry if the way I went about list time upset you two."

"I appreciate the apology, but this isn't about us," Gerry said. "You're aware that all species are capable of swimming, right? It's how Asian elephants migrated to Sri Lanka from India. There's precedent."

"120 miles of water between Nublar and the mainland, remember?" Sorkin asked. "You both see them in the field daily. Have you ever seen any of our dinosaurs swim?"

"We keep them fenced in, though," Jorge brought up.

"They don't get the chance," Gerry added.

"Any chance of escape is far outweighed by our duty to take care of them," Sorkin continued. "We brought them back. They're here because of us." Gerry sighed, tiring of all this.

"Look, let's just agree to disagree. For now, but I'll have to tell InGen when this is all over."

"I understand," she said. Gerry looked around, searching for his daughter.

"Jess, where'd you go?" the worried father asked.

"Bathroom," Jorge said quickly.

"But there's no bathrooms nearby," he said. Jorge gave him a particular look with raised eyebrows. "Ohhh..." Just then, the lights began to flicker, and a voice came over the intercom.

"_Hey, this is Arrrrrtie Bridges, rockin' Jurassic Park's only unofficial radio station! Just a reminder for you before we sign off, parklings - if you're not on the boat by seven, you're not gonna be on the boat at all. I've got a little something special for all you last-minute packers out there. A personal favorite of mine, and I'll see you all on board!" _Sorkin shook her head.

"Dammit, Artie."

"He's not still here, is he?" Gerry asked.

"Nah," Jorge answered. "He said he'd be on the boat. This is just a recording he had set up before leaving." Artie's recording continued playing.

"_So here's a little something to get you ready to set sail."_ Smooth jazz started playing over the intercom.

"Huh. Artie's got great taste." Gerry and Laura gave him a look. "What? He does." Sorkin began fiddling with a keypad located near a speaker system. She punched in a code, and the music stopped. "Aww, I liked that song." A door burst open, Jessi running from it.

"Run!" she shouted. Everyone looked at her.

"Jess, what's wrong?" her dad asked.

"What's happening?" Sorkin asked. A loud shriek echoed out, and a raptor leapt through the door, snarling at them. They were frozen in fear. There was no way they could outrun the vicious beast. Thinking fast, Gerry grabbed a nearby pipe lying on the ground and clutched it in his hands. The raptor vaulted upon Jessi but didn't get the chance to touch her. The animal cried out as the pipe collided with its skull. Two more burst through the door before them. Jessi climbed into a large open ventilation pipe. Gerry swung his pipe like a baseball bat at the raptor trio, swinging wildly to keep them back.

"Get away, you guys!" Gerry called out. "Go! I can't keep this up for long!" A loud thud rang out with a raptor shriek, another pipe colliding with another dinosaur's skull. Jorge was swinging a pipe in his hands at the animals.

"Not leaving you here, pally," he called out. Jessi climbed out from the vent pipe, looking to Sorkin for guidance. Behind her was a forklift painted in land cruiser colors. Jessi sprinted for it and hopped in the operator's seat. The key was in the ignition. The young girl revved up the vehicle and floored it, racing towards the dinosaurs. The forklift crashed into the wall and several stacked barrels. Jess had pinned the animal between the lift and the wall, while the other two fell to the ground from tripping over the barrels. One raptor leapt over the barrels and chased after them. In the blink of an eye, Oscar burst through a nearby door, knocking the reptile back down. The dinosaur snarled at him, slashing at the burly mercenary with his claws. Oscar danced around it, cutting the animal in its left eye. It let out an ear splitting cry, running its hand over the bleeding cut it just received. Oscar spat at the animals, talking down to them. The animals slowly began to back away from them all, nostils flaring. The three turned quickly and ran down the corridor. They all just stood there, lost in confusion.

"What the...?" Jessi shook her head.

"Amazing," Sorkin admitted. "I've never seen them afraid before." Jessi tackled the mercenary with a hug, holding him tightly.

"That was awesome!" she called out. Jorge slapped his knee, laughing loudly.

"You crazy son of a bitch!" he hollered. "You did it!" Oscar shook his head at him and patted Jessi's head.

"No problem," he shrugged.

"Okay, honey," Gerry said smirking. "Let the man breathe." Behind Oscar, Billy and Nima walked out of the door.

"Yoder!" Jess called out, embracing the other mercenary.

"Nima!" Jorge shouted. He and Nima embraced tightly, relieved to meet each other again. Jorge's eyes widened as Nima wrapped her arms around his neck and pulls him in for a deep kiss. Jorge exhaled slowly and shut his eyes, joining her kiss. He wraped his arm around her waist, pulling her in closer.

"Uh, ahem?" Their eyes widened, and the stopped their kiss. The others stood staring at them, smirking. Nima and Jorge muttered in embarassment, their faces beet red.

"...that new chapstick?" Jorge asked. Nima socked him in the arm.

"Get a room, you two," Jess laughed as she hugged Nima, to which she returned. "So glad you're alive." Billy laughed.

"I'm surprised you guys lasted five minutes without me and Oscar," he joked.


	21. An Awful Truth

"So, Yoder," Jessi started. "How did you guys, like, not die when the helicopter crashed?" Billy smirked to himself, leaning against the metal wall and folding his arms over.

"Well, me and Oscar got out on our own before we hit, but Nima needed a little help." Nima shot him a look of annoyance. Billy chuckled to himself, eager to bring her down a few pegs. She kept her mouth shut, forced to play his game for now. "Right, Oscar?" Oscar nodded in agreement but gave off a befuddled look.

"Well, I'm just glad you're all okay," Jess said. Her calm expression shifted to one of worry when she saw Oscar's hand. Blood caked his skin. "Oh my God, you're bleeding! Are you okay?" Oscar raised a hand at her and gave off a short laugh.

"No worries," he said gruffly. "Belongs to one of them." Her eyes widened with wonder.

"You killed one? With just a knife? That's so badass!" Gerry gave her a look.

"Jessi, language."

"It's nothing," Oscar mused. "Just another fight."

"Well, hey, I outran a T-Rex," Billy said, throwing his two cents into the mix.

"So did I," Jessi teased, sticking her tongue out at him. Billy merely shrugged.

"Gonna get a tatoo of a raptor now?" Jessi asked. "I totally would." Oscar raised an eyebrow at the notion, pondering his beard.

"Hmm... not a bad idea."

"Sounds cool to me," Jorge said.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Gerry added. Nima scoffed at the burly mercenary and walked past him.

"You're not fooling me," she muttered. Oscar looked at her in confusion. Jorge sighed, figuring it was only a matter of time.

"What now?" he asked in annoyance. Nima turned back to him, scowling at him.

"You can pretend to be a hero all you want, but we both know what you really are." Oscar shook his head in irritance.

"You're right," he admitted. "We do." A harsh hissing rang through the corridors. Hot steam began whistling through the valves on the pipes. Gerry stumbled just out a reach of one of the hot blasts. Sorkin looked at them with concern.

"Everyone, we have a problem." Jorge held his hands out in front of the warm air the steam created, rubbing them together. Nima raised an eyebrow at him and just shook her head.

"What's wrong, Laura?" Gerry asked.

"You've seen the flickering lights, now the steam eruptions..." She paused, thinking on the matter. "Something's gone wrong with the island's geothermal power plant." Billy shrugged, giving off a casual smirk.

"Not our problem." Sorkin frowned at him.

"When the power plant explodes, it will be," she stated, very matter-of-factly. Billy quickly wiped the smirk off of his face at this prospect.

"It's that bad?" Gerry asked with concern.

"Everything I've read about the system says it's supposed to shut itself down if something goes wrong with the steam pressure," she began to explain. "The fact that it hasn't means that the pressure will build unchecked. It'll pop like a balloon and take half the island with it." Jorge inhaled slowly and let out a deep sigh.

"Oh boy," he said, leaning on his elbow and rubbing his forehead. "This weekend's just been one setback after another."

"We'll get through this, Jorge," Sorkin reassured.

"Can we even get to the power plant from here?" Gerry asked her. "I'm completely turned around." She nodded.

"Yes, I've been here before." She looked down the tunnel behind them. "Down that way. We really ought to get moving."

"So how do we fix it?" Jorge asked. Sorkin sighed heavily.

"That, I don't know." This set them on edge. Sorkin usually had the answers. Her lack of a plan really put a dent in things.

"No time to shut it off," Billy interrupted. "We're getting out of here, so say goodbye to your dinosaurs, Doc. You can dig up the fossils later."

"I don't think you understand, Yoder," she said flatly. "When the power plant explodes, it'll take us with it. Unless you have a spare helicopter ready?" Billy scowled, rather irritated with all this.

"This just keeps getting better and better," he huffed.

"Yeah, no kidding," Jorge added. Oscar stepped forward.

"I'll scout ahead," he said, pointing down the corridor. "To make sure there's no dinosaur party happenin' when we get there."

"Can I come?" Jessi piped up. "I know I can help."

"I don't think so," Gerry told her. "You're staying right here so I can keep an eye on you."

"I'm the one who saved you, remember?" she said with slight contempt. "Besides, those things are afraid of him." Oscar gave a look to Jorge, who was making a swiping movement with the flat of his hand against his neck.

"You wandered off, Jess," he said.

"Um, hello? Bathroom? I told Jorge, didn't I? Besides, Oscar doesn't mind. Do you?" She turned to look at Oscar only to see his large presence absent. Jessi huffed in reluctant submission. Nima tugged on Jorge's sleeve, pulling him to the side. He followed her over, raising an eyebrow at her and her questionable intent.

"Hey, about before... with the whole hostage thing?" she asked.

"I haven't forgotten," he said flatly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was only trying to protect myself. Me and the mercs... we worked it out." Jorge's eyebrows raised with worry. She punched him softly in the shoulder. "Not in that way."

"Well, sometimes, it's hard to tell," he said with a laugh. "But it's not me you need to apologize to." He tilted his head over to Gerry and Jessica. "Wouldn't be the first time I've been in a hostage situation." He stuck his tongue out at her teasingly. Nima smirked and shook her head.

"It was your idea," she teased back.

"When you went to work the next morning, you left me handcuffed on purpose." Nima bit her lip teasingly and glanced aside, passing him a slight wink. "You dirty minx. I had to piss, you know."

"That's what the cup was for."

"It got plenty of use. Believe me." He glanced over to Billy, his eyebrows furrowed. "So what? You're, like, friends now?"

"I wouldn't go that far," she said, frowning at the merc. Oscar brushed past them, back from his recon mission. Billy stepped up to him.

"What'd you find, buddy?" He waved all of them to follow. Their footfalls echoed as they made contact with the metal floor.

"Hallway's clear, but the door to the plan is locked." He turned a corner and banged the side of his fist on a blue door.

"Don't that just figure," Billy spat.

"Either of you three got a key?" Oscar asked.

"I'm afraid not," Sorkin admitted. Oscar figured as much.

"Not me," Gerry said, shaking his head.

"I'm flyin' in the dark too, Cap'n," Jorge added. Oscar sighed.

"How about a smoke?" Jorge gave a quick look to Jessi, who shot him a look. He merely shrugged.

"I wish," Sorkin said. "I swore I had some on me, but I seem to have misplaced them." Jessi shuffled nervously. Sorkin caught it out of the corner of his eye.

"Jess? Something to share?" Gerry gave her a grave look. Jorge whistled a tune innocently and looked to the ceiling.

"I'm sorry," she said, finally cracking. "I-I just wanted to borrow them! But then the dinosaur was there, and then I threw them! I... I think it ate them."

"That's not good for the digestion," Jorge said.

"Jessica Marie Harding!" Gerry shouted. "First, you get caught stealing a t-shirt from the mall! Then, you steal binoculars from the park and lie about it to my face! Now, you've taken Laura's cigarettes? You let the raptors get to us because you wanted to smoke?" Jorge's neck was hot, uncomfortable to have to witness such a personal moment. He always felt awkward when personal things blew up in front of others. Especially when it was with family. It hurt him deeply to see a family divided.

"Hey! Mom smokes!" Jorge grimaced, wishing she hasn't gone there. "You did, too, when I was younger." Now, Jorge really wished she hadn't gone there.

"That's not the point!" Gerry rebuttled. "It's not just the smoking! It's-it's stealing! It's not listening!" Gerry's tone settled a little. "Remember, the main reason you're on this island is because your mother thinks I might be able to help straighten you out somehow."

"Right," she spat. "Not because you want to see me or anything." Gerry felt a slight pain in his chest. That really hurt him. "Look, you don't have to worry about me, Dad. I'm almost 15. I can take care of myself. I don't need you. Or mom or anyone." Her words fell upon hurt ears.

"Oh, honey," Gerry said softly. "I know it feels like that, especially at your age, but..." He sighed. "You're not an adult. You're still emotionally immature, and such maturity takes time-"

"Don't, okay?" Jess shouted. She didn't want one of her father's lecture. There was hurt in her voice. "I'm sorry, Dad, but how many times have you been married? Your kids..." She emphasized that part specifically. "Have you even talked to Sarah lately? This year, even?" Deep wrinkles of distress were prominent on the veterinarian's face. "Should you be lecturing anyone about emotional maturity?"

"I've had just about enough of this!" Jorge shouted. He couldn't stand to see this. "This plant's about to blow, and you guys have forgotten what's important! If we don't stop that plant, none of us will see Sarah or your mom or anyone again!" Jorge pulled his shorts up high, an angered grimace upon his face. "Gerry, you need to let it go! Beating her senselessly with the fact she stole or she lied won't change the fact it happened! Jess, you understand what you did was wrong, but you need to understand the fact you're a kid. You've done alot, but at the end of the day, you're nowhere near a legally registered adult." He stepped back and took a deep breath. Gerry was surprised. Jorge had been very stoic and quiet when things like this happened. He'd never seen him so angry before. Jess was just as surprised. She was used to the funny and witty Jorge. "You two have something special. A bond that no one can break. Father and daughter. Parent and child..." He grew quiet and somber. "A family that's always there for you. And you have no idea how lucky you are..." Sorrow traced the lines of his face. Jessi and Gerry looked at him. "In college, before I could graduate, my parents died. Losing them tore me apart. I turned to drinking to cope and then finally dropped out altogether." Jess and Gerry grew quiet, the anger and irritation they felt towards one another quelled. Jorge let out a heavy sigh, feeling exhausted from his tirade. "This project will be a success. But before I can work on that success again, you guys have to be free. To be safe." He placed his hands on their shoulders. "The greater good matters here." He nodded at the sealed blue door. They looked back at it and then back at him. The two nodded. "But never forget what's important. You never know what you have. until it's gone." Jorge leaned against the wall, rubbing his forehead.

"Jessi... let's continue this another time... okay?" She nodded at her father. Gerry stood awkwardly, looking at the others. "So... Laura... how do we... you know, fix this?" Sorkin fiddled with the door locks, still trying to figure it all out.

"Your family problems, I have no clue," she said. "As for this door, I believe I've found the issue to getting around this door." The exhausted vet sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness. How?"

"You won't like it," she said. "The only way around the door to the power plant is that vent, and Jess is the only one of us who might fit inside."

"Absolutely not!" he said. "My daughter has clearly shown that she can't be trusted with her own safety. She doesn't leave my side from now on. We're just gonna have to find another solu-" As he turned to her, he found her absent. "Jess? Jessi?" Oscar cleared his throat. Gerry turned to see him holding the vent grate.

"It's okay," he said, pointing to the opening. "Pretty sure the dinosaurs haven't been using that vent." The door handles rattled, and the door swung open. Jessi stepped through the opening.

"Well done, Jess," Sorkin said, walking into the room. "Okay, listen up. We need to release the steam pressure to prevent any more build-up."

"What are we looking for?" Billy asked.

"A power console," she answered. "And probably a master release valve." Jess looked over to her father.

"Look, Dad, I'm sorry. I was just trying to-"

"You were just trying to ignore everything I said!" he muttered, wanting to keep quiet. There was no anger in his voice. Instead, worry. "Now, just stay where I can see you this time... please." Jessi nodded to him, not wanting to cause any more upset.

"Okay... I will... I promise." She leaned in to hug her father. Gerry wrapped his arms around her. Jorge leaned against the wall beside a doorway to a nearby bathroom. Nima walked over to him, concern on her voice.

"Jorge... "

"You don't need to say anything, sweetie," he told her. "I'm fine. I won't fall apart on you just yet. Just... having to say all that made me relive it. Flashbacks." Nima leaned in and hugged him. He shuddered. "Jesus."

"Mi amor..." Jorge embraced her, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Hey, Nima," Billy called out. Nima shot him a bitter look. The merc stuffed a can of shaving cream into her satchel. "Hold onto that for me for a bit. I need to talk to you about something." Jorge looked at her in confusion. She slid her satchel off and handed it to him.

"Hold this for me," she told him. Jorge nodded and watched her walk away with Billy. His brow was furrowed as he glared in suspicion at Billy. He sat the satchel on the ground and grabbed the can of shaving cream. Jorge trotted quickly into the bathroom, throwing the can into the air and catching it. As he walked up to the mirror, he stared at the can in confusion. It was just a can of shaving cream. What value did Billy assign to it? Why did he give it to Nima? He clutched the can in his hand. It seemed a bit heavy for just a simple shaving cream. He pressed the nozzle at the top, with only a small bit of cream coming out. This didn't add up. So little cream yet so heavy. Jorge turned the can around to inspect it. The bottom was sliding around, not fashioned on tightly like it should be. Jorge spun the bottom around, having it slide off. His eyes widened with what he saw come out. The can was hollow, save for the storage compartment he removed. Located in the storage compartment were several small pin-shaped tubes. The labels on them read various names: T-Rex, Stego, Trike. Even without seeing the labels, Jorge would recognize them immediately. They were the embryos from the cryo labs. All his work was being kept in the hands of his girlfriend and some merc. What did they want with them? How did they get them? Do they even know what they are? Jorge slid the compartment back inside, wanting to keep the embryos from going bad. Nima came inside to see him. Her eyebrows raised up high when she saw the can in his hand.

"Jorge, Yoder... he wants his shaving can back. You mind?" Jorge raised an eyebrow at her, clutching the can in his hand. His brow furrowed, and he held the can close to him.

"I actually planned on shaving later," he lied. "Think I'll hold onto it... for now."


	22. Nest

Nima kept giving Billy nervous glances. The two of them had hit a snag.

"Think he knows?" the merc asked her quietly.

"Not sure," she replied. "He'll be furious if he finds out."

"Which is why he's not gonna find out," Billy said with a wink. Nima looked at him in confusion. "We just gotta keep him distracted, not focused on us or the can. Once he's kept busy, we grab it before he realizes it's gone." Nima nodded but did not feel any better. Her future was riding on this, as was Billy's chance at a serious payday. "Until we get it, let's keep our distance." They separated and drifted to opposite sides of the room. Jorge ducked back behind a corner after watching them converse. He had the can tucked in the inside pocket of his khaki shirt. The scientist smiled to himself. He had his embryos and the merc off his woman. Two for one. He stared off at the lava flow in the distance, the heated rock flowing down into the earth. He was glad the platform was nestled safely away from the lava but was still unnerved by its presence. Too many sci-fi movies were to blame.

"So what are we looking for, Laura?" Gerry asked. Sorkin was formulating a plan to stop the build up and keep their island from going up in smoke. Or more appropriately, steam.

"A power console and probably a master release valve," she replied. The crew wandered around the plant, looking at the equipment within.

"Look at those transformers," Gerry said, looking at the large power conduits to the side. Jorge hummed the cartoon theme as a little joke to himself.

"The plant produces enough power to run a small city," she explained. Jorge climbed up a ladder, observing the equipment at the top. A large black valve was mounted at the side of a thick pipe.

"This it, captain?" he called out. "The master valve?"

"That's it," Laura said. "Gerry, you might want to help out our good doctor before he hurts himself." Gerry chuckled and climbed the ladder after him. "Hit the power console on your way up. It's the large box when you first climb up." Gerry walked over to the console, only to find himself chuckling at the sign beside it. It was a large blue sign with Mr. DNA reading "18 days since the last accident on this site".

"That needs an update," he said between laughs. Two blue doors stood at the side of the wall. Gerry pulled on them, but they wouldn't budge. The door locks were electronic. Restarting the system would get them free. He looked over to the console, which consisted of a red and green button and a large black switch. Gerry mashed his thumb on the red button, reading "press to open".

"Let's crank her, captain!" Jorge hollered. Gerry and Jorge began pulling on the valve. The metal creaked but did not budge. The two continued pulling but no such luck. After about a minute, the employees gave up. Jorge was doubled over, his hands on his knees, and gasping for breath. "She's not... she's not going anywhere..."

"There must be some kind of motorized assist for it," Sorkin pointed out.

"Well, thanks for the heads up," Jorge said, regaining his breath. Nima caught her eye on a compartment directly underneath Jorge and Gerry.

"The motor might be in here," she said. The compartment was sealed by two heavy doors. A sign read "Danger: High Voltage" was on the left door, with "KEEP CLEAR" painted on it in bold white capital letters. The doors creaked open, revealing the contents. A thick yellow wire ran the left of the box while a red one lined the other side. A fat motor sat at the ground. Nima pulled on the motor, but it did not budge. "Something's holding it," she muttered. Behind her, several rats scuffied into the shadows. Their squeaks were loud and fearful, running from the entrance. Nima was focused more on the motor than the little mammals. A silver latch sat at the side, which she proceeded to flip. Once flipped, she was able to tug the motor out with ease. "Got it!"

"Let's try it again," Gerry said, reaching for the valve.

"Do we have to?" Jorge joked.

"We'll do it," Billy said, climbing up with Oscar in tow. "We also open pickle jars if needed."

"Yes, please," Jorge sneered slightly. "Make some use of yourself." He narrowed his eyes at the merc, wrapping his arms in front of his shirt to shield the can. Billy and Oscar turned the valve, which creaked loudly but actually did turn this time around. Steam hissed from the pipe it was connected to. The two mercenaries turned it once more. This time, the steam was gone.

"That's it," Laura said. "The steam's been vented! All we need now is to turn the power back on." She climbed up the ladder with Jessica in tow. Sorkin walked over to the console, gripped the black switch and pushed it up, pulling it back down afterwards. She counted down four pumps before the green button glowed from the activation light. Sorkin tapped the green button, with Jessi standing behind her. The young girl crossed her fingers. A loud hum resonated throughout the room. A cranking caught all their attetion. A large metal slab began to slide down over their way in.

"What's happening?" Jessi asked worriedly.

"It's alright, everyone," Laura consoled. "It's just a failsafe measure to protect the plant. We probably set it off when we disconnected the motor or something else. Everything is just fine." A terminal sparked and sizzled in front of her. Sorkin backed away, covering her face to protect it from any burns. She was unharmed, but the terminal concerned her greatly. The loud squawk that was just uttered concerned her more though. Sliding under the slab were three Velociraptors. The one leading the other two had a deep dried scar on his left eye.

"Raptors!" Jessi shouted. The others looked down in fear at the apex predators.

"Run for the ladder, Nima!" Gerry called out. "Before they can cut you off!"

"You can do eet!" Jorge hollered. Nima was facing a raptor on the other side of the room. She ran to the right of the room, sliding to a halt when she saw a raptor on the other side of a pair of pipes. Nima ran between two walls of power terminals , sliding to a halt once more when the final raptor stood at the end. She caught an opening beside the vicious dinosaur and darted to the ladder. Jorge and Gerry quickly pulled her up, the raptor snapping at the heels of her boots as she ascended.

"That panel that sparked was for the door controls!" Laura said, looking over the fried terminal.

"Can't these doors be opened manually?" Billy asked.

"I'm afraid not," Sorkin answered. "The only way we can get them open is by using the controls by the door where we came in." Two raptors circled under them in front of the door.

"Great," Jorge sighed. Oscar glared down at the animals encircling them.

"I'm on it," he said gruffly. Billy's eyes widened.

"No way!" he said. "That's suicide!"

"He's right," Sorkin added. "The raptors wouldn't have come back if they were still afraid of you." Oscar scratched underneath his neck and walked along the side of the railing.

"I'll just have to give them a new reason to be scared, then," he barked.

"Can we at least talk about this?" the younger merc asked. Oscar turned to him.

"You know damn well I'm the only one's got a chance to get to that control panel." A raptor stared up the ladder at them, hissing with frustration.

"Maybe," Billy admitted. "But who says you have to go alone?"

"I do," Oscar stated. "Look, Billy. We gotta get these people outta here. I figure they got no chance with the both of us gone." Worry and sorrow were prominent on Billy's face.

"Shit," was his only response, rubbing away the pain growing in his forehead.

"I want everyone to hang tight while I figure this out," Oscar said, looking down below them. "You're gonna be fine."

"What's the plan?" Billy asked. He still didn't agree to Oscar going alone but knew he was right. The grizzled mercenary's gaze shifted to the panel beside the doors. The raptors sat before it. Oscar furrowed his brow, his mind racing to find a plan. He looked over his shoulder over at the railing at the end of their platform. He walked over and looked over the edge. The entire back end of the room was built into the rocks. The hulking merc figured he could get down that way.

"Keep those raptors distracted for me," Oscar told the others. "I want you to tempt the raptors by creeping down the ladder." Billy raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Oh, okay!" he shouted. "That sounds like a great plan-"

"You got somethin' better?" Oscar bellowed. Billy shook his head, gritting his teeth. This whole thing rustled him to no end.

"We could always throw the doctor lady down there," he half joked, looking over at Sorkin looking down at the carnivores. "That would distract them." Jorge elbowed him in the ribs. Jessi sprinted over to the older merc and tugged on his arm.

"Don't go!" she pleaded. "You could die!" Oscar looked down at the animals. He knew they were vicious and were no pushover. Then again, neither was he.

"Don't count me out yet," he said in a comforting tone. "Just keep them on you for a couple of seconds!" He looked to Billy, who nodded.

"Got it!" he replied. The skinnier merc climbed onto the ladder and took a few steps down. A raptor leapt up at him, its jaws snapping. The animals had their focuses on Billy, leaving Oscar in the clear. The burly man vaulted over the rail guard and landed on a large rock below. The large piece of earth stood firmly in place, not moving an inch. Oscar sighed, relieved to know they were stable. He leapt to another rock jutting from the wall. The man crouched low, keeping his balance and visibility in check. Oscar looked over to the rail guard on the platform beside him. He took a step back and jumped for it. His fingers wrapped around the metal while the rest of his body dangled over the lava pit below. He planted his boots on the metal and pulled himself up, climbing over the rail and onto the firm metal platform. Oscar slipped behind a large terminal, out of eyeshot of the raptors across from his position. The scarred raptor looked over at the end of the platform, catching a brief echo of Oscar's boots on the metal floor. Billy shouted and kicked at the raptors to keep them on him while the others looked on.

"I hope he makes it," Jessi whimpered.

"Don't worry," Nima said with a soft smile. "The man has skills." She frowned at the last part, reluctant to admit such.

"I thought you hated him," Laura said.

"But I respect his ability," she stated.

"Stop the friggin' presses," Jorge muttered. Nima ignored him.

"If anyone can do this, he can."

"Oscar! Company!" Billy's shout brought their attention back. The animals were losing interest in Billy, fixated on searching out whatever made the sound the Scarred One caught. Oscar slipped under the pipes and scampered behind some metal structures.

"Hey!" Billy yelled. The Scarred One looked back at Billy. Oscar slid over and ducked behind a large metal structure. "Hey, hey! Check this out, huh?" Billy swung his left leg down at the animals. "Nice tasty drumstick!" One of the raptor lackeys hissed and leapt up, snapping at his leg. The animal's teeth missed his leg but cut into the heel of his boot. "Too slow, you dumb lizard!"

"Well, they're not really lizards, you see. Dinosaurs are sort of the wild card in the evolutionary spectrum. They have genetic parts of both reptiles and birds but are predominantly independent. Although, the maniraptora grouping is more related to birds than any other dinos-"

"Not the best time, Jorge!" Gerry said.

"Sorry," he replied. "Old habit."

"That's right," Oscar muttered under his breath. "Keep focused on them." Billy's efforts were short-lived in their success, as the animals had picked up Oscar's scent and were now actively searching for it. Oscar hugged the side of the metal frame closely, eyes widened as a raptor had stuck his head out from the side. It faced forward, unaware of him there. The merc quickly sucked in some air and slipped on the opposite side, out of sight. The animal looked over at where he had slipped in and tiptoed over. Oscar looked over to the wall in front of him, seeing the panel for the door. He muttered to himself to work out his plan. "Gotta make a run for it. No choice." Oscar drew out his blade and grasped the hilt firmly. He jumped up for the panel only to find the Scarred One leap out at him. The two raptors crept to the sides, eyeing him. "You want some of what your buddy had?" Oscar's voice was gruff and guttural.

"Behind you!" Billy yelled, seeing one prepare to pounce. Oscar dropped to his stomach. The raptor jumped over him and onto the Scarred One. The two snapped and scratched at each other, caught up in their squabble. The other one barked, bringing their attention back to Oscar. The Scarred One and the other lackey turned back to the merc, twitching their fingers at him and baring their teeth. Oscar panicked and sliced at the one to his left. The animal cried out and leapt back, unharmed but intimidated. It left an opening to the panel that Oscar booked for. He slid into the panel but not before a raptor dug its teeth into his shoulder. Oscar roared in pain at feeling the animal's jaws in his muscles.

"Come on, Oscar!" Billy shouted. "Get up! GET UP!" Panic and fear were clear in his voice. Oscar elbowed the dinosaur in the jaw. The combination of the animal's jaws sliding away and his arm twisting really cut up his flesh. Another raptor dug its killing claw into his back. Oscar cried out loudly but kept crawling for the panel. The Scarred One stared down at the bleeding wound, blood oozing from the gnarled cut in his jacket. Its mouth gaped open but quickly snapped shut at one of the lackeys. The lackey raptor snapped back, getting greedy for a piece. His strength fading, Oscar mashed the red emergency button on the terminal. The metal slab slid up, but Oscar fell to the ground, his strength ebbing away. The Scarred One bit into his lift shoulder, blood covering the tattoos the dying merc had accumulated. The other two raptors began digging open the cut in his back, feasting on the thick muscles.

"No, Oscar! OSCARRR!"

"There's nothing you can do!" Gerry told Billy, a hand on his shoulder. The merc yanked himself away from the veterinarian, staring at the beasts feast on his partner. His friend. The Scarred One pushed away one of the lackeys, who was growing more and more impatient. His eyes gazed to the rocks behind the rail guards. The vicious dinosaur scampered over to them and hopped over the rocks. Its talons dug into the chainlink, climbing up to feast on the rest of them.

"They're coming!" Sorkin shouted.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but we have to get out of here!" Gerry shouted, trying to bring Billy to reason. Billy pulled himself away once more, still gazing in horror at the fate of his friend.

"We gotta book it now, captain! It's now or never!" Jorge said, running. The others followed, leaving Billy standing by the edge. The merc slammed his fists onto the metal railing and sprinted on after them. They ran through the blue double doors behind them, now unlocked thanks to security override. Their footfalls echoed down the halls as they sprinted for their lives. The two raptor lackeys were not far behind, not being allowed any of the meal. Jorge held open a door at the end of the hall. Gerry was the last to slip inside, and the resident dinosaur expert slammed it shut. The room they were in was large enough to accomodate them all adequately. "Now let's lock this-" Jorge stared down at the space where a lock would be. Or should be.

"There's no lock!" Gerry shouted.

"I know!" Jorge replied. "Help me hold it!" Jorge and Gerry pushed themselves against the door to hold the animal back. Jessi placed herself against it as well.

"Get ready!" Gerry warned. They stood there for a while, their bodies locked firmly in place. They heard the sniffing and hissing outside the door, but they weren't pushing against it. Gerry looked through the small window and gasped sharply, seeing one of the predators staring at him through it. Oddly enough, it took one whiff and turned right around. Its fellow pack member followed. The animals charged quickly up the hall. Almost flying on air, they ran so fast. Jorge and Gerry exchanged confused glances. Jorge huffed into his hand and took a whiff of his breath.

"What happened there?" Gerry asked.

"That was their fear response," Sorkin clarified. "Something about this place scares them."

"That doesn't sound good," Jorge said, sliding to the ground. His hat hung over his eyes. He adjusted it properly and fixed his glasses which were hanging crooked on his face. Jessi turned to see Billy kneeling on the floor. His body was rigid.

"Are you okay, Billy?" Jessi asked gingerly.

"What the hell do you think?" he spat. Billy felt a kaleidoscope of emotions running through his mind. Anger, guilt, sorrow, regret, loneliness. Jessi looked down at her feet. She understood what he felt. They all remained in silence for a bit before Laura spoke up.

"What Oscar did was very brave," she said carefully. This was a tough time for Billy. She needed to approach this with tact. "When we get back, we're going to make sure he is dully recognized for his-"

"You think I care about that shit?" Billy yelled. Rage was heavy in his tone. Gerry sighed.

"Let's just... give him some space," Gerry said.

"Five minutes!" Billy yelled. "Just give me five minutes, and I'll be fine!" He stared them down, anger burning in his eyes. "I know what you people think of us. A bunch of blue collar grunts, right? Bunch of high school drop outs? We're replacable."

"You know that's not true," Jorge told him.

"We don't think that!" Jessi said. "We don't!"

"Oscar was worth a thousand of you!" Billy bellowed. He pointed an accusing finger at Sorkin. "And he knew it! Yet, he still died to save your ass, so don't tell ME how YOU'RE gonna honor HIM! You don't deserve to-"

"Okay, okay!" Gerry spoke up. "What can we do, then?" Billy paced up and down the room, very irritable, to say the least.

"Nothing," he spat. "I said I'll be fine, remember? All I need is space." Billy grew quiet, his anger subsiding. He leaned against a locker in silence, punching it once before growing quiet once more.

"I know we've got a lot of our minds, but whatever spooked those raptors might be nearby," Sorkin said to Gerry.

"Laura's right," he said. "I need everyone to be alert while we search the room." Nima wrinkled her nose, digust visible on her face.

"What is that?" she said. "Smells like the jungle, only more rotten." Jessi shrieked as she opened a door. The others flocked over to her only to be met with a horrific sight.

"Jess, don't look at it!" Gerry told her. "Nima, can you-"

"Right," she said, tugging on her arm. "Come on. Come with me, Jess. Try not to look, okay?" Jess walked away with Nima. Jorge stared at the sight met before them, his jaw hanging open.

"Oh my God..." The sight was all too familiar to him. It was a body twisted and contorted, limbs curled up. The torso torn wide open, wrapped within a ramshackle nest. Exactly what happened to David. "Gerry... remember when I told you what happened to David?"

"Yeah?"

"He was like this..." A chilling silence descended over the room. Things were beginning to add up in Jorge's head. The nesting patterns, the glowing eyes, Nima's bite. His thoughts were broken and scattered when he saw the man's eye twitch.

"My God! He's still alive!" Sorkin cupped her mouth in horror. Jorge's eyes widened. He didn't imagine it. David's body had done the same thing, but not David's body. David. He was still alive backthere.

"David did the same thing..."

"Oh dear God," Sorkin whimpered. She crouched down and pressed her fingers against his wrist. "His pulse is there, but it's faint. Look for bite marks." Gerry's eyes glanced over the victim's arms.

"They look just like-"

"Mine," Nima said gravely. She held her arm up, showing the dried and partially healed cut on it.

"He's alive but only technically," Sorkin explained. "He's paralyzed and almost certainly brain dead. This is the venom's final stage."

"No..." Jorge said. "Sorkin, no..." It was becoming more and more clear by the second what this animal was. He only knew one way to be sure. The scientist parted the leaves coating his body to inspect the torn open abdomen. Inside, nestled in the bloodied and warm guts of the man, were several white oval shaped items. Eggs. They resembled the shapes he saw in David's wound. That was the last nail in the coffin. The same animal did this. He held up a small egg to them.

"Eggs!" Sorkin said. "It IS a nest! I thought the structure looked like the nest of a cassowary. Maybe an emu, but without eggs, I couldn't be sure."

"Yes, but they're... inside him!" Gerry had never seen this type of animal behavior before. Not from any of the dinosaurs they had here.

"If you had asked me five minutes ago, I would've told you such behavior didn't exist outside of class Insecta, but now-"

"Laura!" Gerry shouted. "He's a human being!" Jorge just stared at the body, his brow furrowed with anger. Laura kept dancing around the truth he knew.

"I'm sorry," she said. Her fascination had gotten the better of her. Gerry had noticed the blue jeans and olive vest the man wore, similar to what Billy was wearing.

"This guy's dressed a lot like you, Billy," Gerry said. Billy had watched the body from over his shoulder but still faced the locker. He hadn't been paying much attention to their sciency babble talk.

"Does he have a tattoo on his arm? Like mine?" he asked. There was no tone in his voice. It was flat and emotionless. Despite the lack of emotion, he feared the answer. Jorge saw the man's ink coming out of the sleeve on his right arm.

"He does," Jorge said somberly. Billy's only response was him punching the locker once more.

"What the hell's going on over there?" the merc asked bitterly. "Is he alive or not?"

"He's alive but in a comatose state. Something had laid eggs in his abdomen." Even as Gerry said it aloud, he could scarcely believe it.

"Something WHAT?" he shouted. Now, they had his full attention.

"He's being kept alive by-"

"D-Caf."

"I'm sorry?" Gerry asked.

"Daniel Cafaro," Billy explained. "Another throwaway grunt." Bitterness was heavy in his voice.

"I knew it," Sorkin said. "I knew they'd gotten out somehow, but I never thought-"

"You knew about this?" Billy asked. "YOU KNEW?"

"Billy, please! I can-"

"Yes," Jorge said. Billy looked over to him, confused. He rose and stared bitterly at Sorkin. "She did." Billy found solace in the anger on Jorge's face.

"What is that thing, Mr. Michaels?" Billy asked, his voice shaking in fear.

"Jorge," he stated. He paced up and down the room in front of them, his gaze never leaving Sorkin. "The same thing that killed our fellow employee, David. The same thing that bit Nima. That stalked us through the jungle, with those big glowing yellow eyes." Nima bit her lip in fear at the thought of those eyes staring at her. "The thing that chased me through the service entrance under the pens. That killed your squad at the Visitor's Center."

"Jorge, please. Let me explain-"

"You had plenty a chance to explain, Laura," Jorge hissed. "The venom, nesting habits, nocturnal lifestyle. It's the very same animal you brought over on the ship because you couldn't be apart from them when you knew nothing about them. YOU were ordered to euthanize them by Hammond personally. Instead, you stored it in the quarantine pens with the other pack of raptors. Correct?" Sorkin bit her lip in shame and nodded gravely. "There's only one species of dinosaur that exhibits all these behaviors."

"Oh no no no. Jorge, Sorkin. This can't be-"

"It is, Gerry," he said. Sorkin nodded somberly.

"Troodon pectinodon..."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Billy screamed, holding his knife to her throat.


	23. Secrets

"Billy, let her go!" Gerry kept his daughter behind him, fearful for her life as much as Sorkin's. The revelation of Sorkin's depravity had broken the mercenary. He had been sent here to save these people, and all that had happened to his team was Laura's fault. Panic and fear rang through Gerry and Jessi's voice, also very visible on their faces.

"Billy, stop!" Jessi cried. "Let her go!"

"Stay out of my way!" the merc said, swinging his knife at them. He made no effort to actually cut them but just wanted to intimidate them. Regardless, he was on the edge, finding himself with nothing to lose. "I'm warning you! Keep back!"

"Come on! Think this through!" Gerry continued to plead and try to reach out to Billy, but his wall of anger kept him well shut out.

"Jorge, do something!" Jessi pleaded. The scientist narrowed his eyes at them all, carefully assessing the situation. Jorge could be quick to action and rash at times, but he needed tact to work through this.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Billy shouted at them all. Jorge's expression remained stern and unwavering, his eyes still fixated and burning at the rogue merc and his hostage. Sorkin had been backed into a wall, with the knife pointed at her sternum. "Tell us exactly what's out there! Now! What are these Trodo-things?"

"Troodon pectinodon," Jorge said again. Billy looked back to him. Jorge was still cautious of his possession of the Barbasol can but looked to this scientist as the only trustworthy one. If not for his trustworthiness, Billy admired his sense of humor. "Sorkin's pet project. As I said, they were SUPPOSED to be euthanized."

"So what? You let them out?" Billy spat at the doctor. Jorge looked back at Sorkin.

"Did you?" he asked. Jorge knew the answer but was furious at the doctor's negligence.

"No, no!" Laura said urgently. "As Jorge told you all, I kept them in quarantine for study. I thought they may have been leaving the pens somehow, but-"

"Hold on," Jorge called out, raising his hand up. "As in, before the system shutdown?" Sorkin nodded swiftly. "Christ almighty." The irritated man rubbed his forehead.

"So you knew about those damn creatures all along while we were out there, exposed!" Billy grew angrier and angrier by the minute. "While we were out there humping around like idiots looking for our pilot!"

"Billy, wait," Gerry said. He continued his attempts at reasoning with the merc.

"We were nearly killed by one of our own men!" Billy stated. "Probably bitten by one of those things just like D-Caf. God only knows where his body is now." Billy shook his fists in anger, his jaw clenched with fury. "Both our teams are dead! Oscar is dead! All because of your dinosaurs! All because of you."

"Now, see here!" Jorge said. "All this happened because of a colossal system shutdown. You can't blame those animals out there. If anyone's to blame, blame John Hammond for his lack of sparing expense on time management for genetic research. If we were given more time and money, I can imagine a lot of this could've been avoided. That, or we'd have been better prepared."

"The animals still killed my team! My friends!" Billy and Jorge stared each other down, their steely eyes not breaking contact once. "All because of this bitch's fault."

"So what happens now, huh?" Jorge asked, his tone fierce. "You gonna kill her?"

"Jorge, please-"

"Let me do this, Ger." He looked back to the merc. "What's that gonna solve?"

"For D-Caf! Oscar!"

"The Troodons were Sorkin's responsibility. No doubt about that. But now you're blaming Sorkin for Oscar's death?"

"Don't push me, Jorge," Billy hissed. "I like you, but don't rile me."

"All this is because of a power failure!" Jorge spat. "A freak act of nature, God, or whatever you wanna call it! Who are you gonna kill to fix that, huh? Your twisted sense of vengeance gonna bring D-Caf back from life as a vegetable? That gonna put Oscar's guts back inside him? Is killing Sorkin gonna bring back David?"

"Doesn't change the fact that this old crone is a liar!" Billy shouted. "She lied to all of us! Put me in the direct line of danger to protect her agenda and her precious freakshow!"

"Please," Sorkin begged. "If I knew sooner-"

"Shut it!" Jorge spat onto the concrete floor, grinding it into the ground with his boot.

"Sorkin, you had an obligation to this project," Jorge stated. "Because you wanted the Troodons all to yourself, your dinosaurs killed innocent merc. David, too, as well as almost get Nima killed. Do you know how many dinosaur species you've put in danger? We don't have the antibiotics to treat all the species if the Troodons decide to spread their territory. Going toe-to-toe with Herrerasaurs and raptors is gonna get a lot of creatures hurt. You've done more harm than good."

"I couldn't just kill them!" Sorkin said. "They were animals and had the right to live!"

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few!" Jorge quoted. "As leading scientists, we have obligations to make sure our creations are safe to both employees and guests alike! The Troodon were a threat to both! You had orders."

"So we agree then," Billy said. "She lied to us all, so why shouldn't I waste her?"

"Because we wouldn't be this far without her," Jorge stated.

"She saved Nima, remember?" Gerry added.

"But she should've warned us!"

"I wasn't entirely sure yet!"

"Irrelevant," Jorge said. "Laura, I'm incredibly disappointed. I expected better from you of all people."

"So what happens now?" Billy asked. He grinned at Jorge, glad to see they both looked down upon her.

"We let her live-"

"What?" Billy shouted in anger.

"UNTIL we get to the mainland," Jorge finished. "Then, she goes to prison to pay for dereliction of duty and illegal research using company funding." Billy glanced back and forth between Jorge and Sorkin. He wasn't sure what to think of all this. Things were silent for a long time. "For every life the Troodons took, she'll have ten years to think about behind bars."

"You swear?" Billy finally asked.

"As long as the salt of the Costa Rican waters run through my veins," Jorge answered.

"You'll back me up on this? Make sure she does time?" The scientist nodded. Billy shook his head slightly.

"Fine," he said. "But only if she admits it's her fault. Come on, Doc. All you gotta do is say "It's my fault.", and we'll be on our way."

"But it wasn't-"

"SAY IT!" Billy bellowed. The room grew quiet. After a minute of silence, Sorkin finally spoke.

"Fine," she gasped. "It's my fault." It took all her strength to have to admit it. Billy placed his knife away and smirked to himself.

"There," he scoffed. "That wasn't so difficult, was it?" Billy backed off, and Sorkin slumped to the floor in relief. Billy pointed at Jorge. "Don't forget what you said."

"I'm a man of my word, Billy," Jorge said, glaring at Sorkin.

"Good to know you're not all bad," Billy said.

"Don't rope them in with her," Jorge said, looking at Gerry and Jessi and then over to Sorkin. The scientist patted Billy on his shoulder. "Tend to D-Caf. We'll stay out of your hair."

"Very funny," Billy said, referring to his buzz cut. Jorge walked down a nearby hallway. It seemed to go on for a while. He could faintly hear echoes of a conversation behind him when he reached a bathroom. Jorge stood over a sink and turned the faucet, letting the cool water cascade into the drain. He stuck his mouth down and guzzled the ice cold water. It seemed like ages since he had last had a drink.

"Jorge," a voice called. He looked over his shoulder to see Nima leaning against the wall. "Thanks for talking Yoder down. We've had enough death today."

"I'm not sure Sorkin would thank me just yet, though," he said as he turned the faucet off. Jorge leaned against the sink just staring at her.

"I know you'll do the right thing and see justice done," she said smiling to him. Jorge scoffed.

"I wouldn't talk about justice if I were you," he said with a sneer. Nima's soft smile faded away, a look of wariness on her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jorge looked at her condescendingly. He unbuttoned his khaki shirt slightly and removed the can. He held it out before her. Nima stared at it in fear as he unscrewed the bottom. Jorge glanced back and forth between her and the embryos before resealing it.

"Now, you wanna tell me what the hell these things are doing with you and Billy?" he asked.

"Jorge, please. I-"

"Perhaps I should ask Billy," Jorge spat.

"That's not a good idea," Nima warned.

"So he's in on it too, then?" he asked. Nima bit her lip, not wanting to say more. She was cornered. If Jorge brought this to Billy's attention, he could get killed. Nima didn't want that. "What is he to you?"

"It's not like that!" she stated.

"So you're using him too then? Like you used us as leverage? Or my research for whatever plan you've got for these little guys?" Jorge tapped the side of the Barbasol can.

"Please just let me explain," she pleaded. A sense of urgency was in her voice.

"Why and how?" he said, tapping the can again. Nima sighed heavily. She would not have it easy.

"I had to get Atlanta out of the ghetto," Nima said. "They paid me a lot of money to steal the embryos and bring them back to the mainland. It would be enough so she never had to live in poverty again."

"Who sent you here?" Jorge asked.

"I don't know," Nima answered.

"So you took a job from somebody you don't even know. That's wonderful."

"I was contacted by a man named Miles Chadwick," Nima explained. "He worked for some big genetics company. I was their backup. He was on the phone and said something about a man called "Dodgson". I didn't understand it." The name "Dodgson" rang in Jorge's head. He shook his head in irritation.

"Lewis Dodgson?" he asked, already knowing it was him.

"I don't know," Nima said. "Why?"

"Lewis Dodgson is the head of research over at BioSyn, InGen's rival company," Jorge explained. "BioSyn is nothing but a bunch of damn crooks, stealing ideas from others!"

"I highly doubt they're as bad as InGen," Nima scowled, referring to how Hammond bought out her tribe's island.

"That so, eh?" Jorge said. "You know everything, don't you? Well, I suppose you know that BioSyn introduced a rabies vaccine test to a bunch of Chilean farmers then!"

"They did what?" Nima gasped in both shock and anger.

"Not to mention their genetic tampering with trout," Jorge added. "They somehow managed to find a way to kill fish with sunburn! How do you mess up that bad?"

"InGen and BioSyn both sound just as bad to me," Nima said, folding her arms.

"Whether you like it or not, Nima, InGen had legal rights to do what they did," Jorge explained. "BioSyn didn't. These embryos are patented and aren't even genetically pure, anyway! From a paleontological standpoint, they're useless."

"BioSyn doesn't care," Nima said.

"But I do!" Jorge shouted. "This is my work, being stolen and used for corporate espionage! Do you even know how illegal this is? InGen is the biggest genetic company in the world. You could get life for this!" Nima sighed. "How did you even get ahold of this?"

"We had an inside man," she explained. "He was supposed to deliver the can to our guys on the East Dock, but he didn't make it. Chadwick and I came to get them. Fat man was consumed by the dinosaurs. Name was "Nedry" or something." This grew worse and worse for Jorge. Not only did they have a mole on the inside, but this mole had single-handedly turned their park upside-down.

"Dennis Nedry," Jorge said. "He was the main computer programmer for Jurassic Park." Nedry's betrayal was unexpected to Jorge but not totally far off. Nedry had always complained of financial problems, despite his rather generous paycheck from InGen. Due to his position as the lead programmer and having total control of the park's security systems, he made a valuable asset. The DNA was under constant surveillance, so in order for Nedry to break in and steal the goods, he'd have to have completely shut down the systems. And with Nedry dead, the park's goose was well and truly cooked. "This entire thing is his fault. To get the embryos, he had to shut off security, which includes the electric fences." Nima was silent. The more she knew, the harder things became. She had never meant for any of this to happen.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked. She just felt so defeated and tired. Jorge sighedd. He hated fighting Nima.

"I don't know," he uttered. He walked up to her, placing a hand on her forearm. "I know you want to help Atlanta, but this isn't the way." She buried her face in his chest.

"I'm at the end of my rope, mi amor," she whispered. "I don't know what to do anymore." Jorge embraced her softly, holding her close. He sighed heavily and placed the can in her hands. She looked up at him.

"Just... just hold onto it for now," he said. "I'm not saying you have my blessing to take them to BioSyn, but... let's just get off this island first. Figure this all out."

"That's all I ask," she said, running her fingers along his spine.

"Nima," Jorge uttered softly. "I just need to know after all that's happened, do you still...?" He was too nervous to finish the sentence. Nima placed her forehead against his.

"Do you?" she asked. A soft smile finally returned to the scientist's stressed face.

"Of course," he said. Nima held her lips inches away from his.

"Show me," she whispered silently and went in for the kiss. The two backed into the wall, lost in their lip lock. With a playful wink, Jorge grabbed a handful of her pillowy bosom. Nima, lost in his kiss, let him, all while she was handling his zipper.


	24. Retreat

Nima and Jorge re-entered the room where the others were. Nima was adjusting her hair while Jorge swiftly zipped up his fly. Jess gave them a suspicious look, which Nima did not catch. Jorge put his hands behind his back and whistled innocently.

"You two alright?" Gerry asked.

"Much better now," Jorge said with a slight laugh. Nima forcefully nudged his ribs. "How are you guys holding up?"

"We'll manage," Billy said, still tending to D-Caf's body.

"There's one thing I don't understand," Jess said. "There are eggs in his body, but I thought the dinosaurs couldn't breed."

"They can't," Sorkin stated, sitting on a crate. "They're all female."

"So we thought," Jorge added.

"Then how do they lay eggs?" Jessica asked.

"Although the dinosaurs are inherently inable to breed, they still produce eggs," Jorge explained. "Just unfertilized. It's predominantly therapod dinosaurs, like raptors."

"They don't technically lay them so more as shed them from their body," Sorkin said.

"It's basically like a primordial menstrual cycle," he said with a laugh. His laughter grew nervous and eventually faded into silence with the irritated glares from Sorkin, Nima, and Jessi.

"Anyway," Sorkin started. "The whole egg market is made of unfertilized eggs. Think about chickens."

"So they still have to lay them then," Jessi said. Sorkin nodded. Jorge exchanged nervous knowing glances with Gerry. The two knew something was up. Sorkin and Jessi caught their glances.

"Something wrong?" Laura asked.

"Well, you bring up a good point about our dinosaurs ovulating, but these eggs are gathered in a clutch," Gerry explained. "This is brooding behavior." Sorkin looked unsure of his point.

"So?" she asked. "Chickens will brood a large enough clutch."

"Not like this," Jorge said. "They eggs are arranged in a circle, indicating these were actively tended to."

"It could just be maternal instinct," Sorkin brought up.

"But I've found postovulatory eggs in the ranges," Gerry spoke. "They're malshaped, usually destroyed or kicked into the bush."

"Discarded," Jorge added. "Because the parents have no use for them. This nest shows these eggs were taken care of extensively. The Troodon wanted these eggs to survive, which means they had the capacity to hatch." Sorkin's eyes fluttered around, contemplating the scenario. "The dinosaurs are breeding."

"We can't jump to any conclusions," Sorkin stated. "How could this even be possible?"

"Could a girl dino turn into a boy dino?" Jessi asked.

"With Dr. Wu's slapdash approach to gene sequencing, anything could go wrong," Sorkin said with slight bitterness at the mention of Wu's work. Jessi remained lost.

"Jess, how much do you know about our dinosaurs' DNA?" Jorge asked.

"The holes were filled with bits of frog DNA to complete the sequence," Jess explained. "I remember it from the tour."

"Good," Jorge said. "Well, the primary specimen of frog we utilized were from West Africa. These West African frogs have been known to spontaneous change sex from male to female in a single sex environment to accomodate the lack of males to allow procreation."

"Jorge, that's rather farfetched," Sorkin said.

"But it's true," he replied. "It's been recorded that frogs have been known to do so. The dinosaurs could have been breeding for months, and we'd have never known."

"We have security systems in place to monitor populations," Sorkin said.

"I suppose," Jorge said, thinking it over carefully. "Do the systems take in account all animals or just the ones we cloned?"

"The systems filter out thinks like birds, rats, and other wildlife that is not sanctioned in the system," Sorkin explained. "But Nedry would know better than I would. We'd have to ask him or Dr. Arnold how it works." Jorge rolled his eyes at Nedry's name. After what he found from Nima, the fat bastard got what was coming to him. As far as he was concerned, this was still his fault despite their animals breeding. Jorge sighed to himself. The more fragile he found the park to be, the more his dreams began to unravel. He was concerned for the future of his dinosaurs and all their hard work. If Jurassic Park fell through, what would happen to Site B?

"Sorkin, what do you think's gonna happen to Jurassic Park after we leave?" he asked. Sorkin was not quite sure himself.

"The more likely outcome will be that Hammond will try to cut his losses and abandon the island in favor of starting over somewhere else," she said.

"Seems like a waste to me," Jorge said. "Why not just fix what we have here?"

"Too costly," she scoffed. "Lot of red tape too. Hammond may try to abandon the island and leave the dinosaurs here to rot. Over my dead body." Billy hid a smirk. Jess was looking at a large vent, big and wide enough for them to crawl through. A tunnel was on the other side of the vent grate.

"Maybe we should go this way," she said. The group's focus was brought to the large vent.

"Could work," Jorge said.

"Large enough to accomodate us," Sorkin added.

"Jess, stand back from the grate," Gerry said cautiously. "You don't know what's down there."

"I'm just trying to help," Jessi said.

"I know," Gerry stated. "I just can't keep my attention on everything plus you." He was peering down a small vent, his attention focused on the bloody metal interior. Claw marks were evident in the metal, and a foul smell hung through the shaft. It unnerved him. Due to this, he had missed Jessi's remark of her being an apparent burden to him. Gerry looked around the olive lockers for anything of particular use to them. Most of them were locked, but his attention was brought to a large red rectangular box on top of the lockers. He withdrew a flare from it. He stuffed a couple into his pocket. Despite his find, his attention was drawn back to the bloodied vent. The worried father positioned himself completely in front of it to hide it from his daughter's view. "Doctor Sorkin, what else can you tell me about these Troodons? I'm out of my element here.

"Well, they're nocturnal," she explained. "They're intelligent like the raptors, but they don't hunt like them. They envenomate with a single bite, then back off. Stalk their prey. Their teeth are serrated and retain saliva, which is saturated with a toxin."

"The toxins in their saliva work like the bite of a Komodo dragon," Jorge added. Sorkin nodded. Nima looked down at the bandage on her arm. Jorge placed his warm hand gently on it, looking up at her with a comforting smile that she returned. Billy, although still looking at the nest, listened intently to their words. These Troodon had taken his squad, and he wanted as much info as possible. His eyes caught something buried in the dirt. D-Caf had a grenade with him. Billy glanced quickly around him, everyone's focus elsewhere. With a plotting smile, he stuffed it into his inner vest pocket.

"Is everyone ready?" he asked. The group gathered around, ready to get moving.

"What about D-Caf?" Gerry asked.

"I took care of that the best I could," Billy replied. There was little he could do for his friend and pilot.

"What did you take from him?" Gerry asked. Billy had not been as swift as he had hoped.

"His dog tags," Billy said. He did indeed have D-Caf's dog tags with him, so he was not completely lying. The scheming merc figured he'd keep the grenade he found on a need to know basis. "Insurance doesn't go out to his family unless his dog tags are returned." He held out the dirtied silver tags to the vet.

"Right," Gerry said, buying the story. "Should we... bring him with us?"

"Why bother?" Billy said. "He's already buried." Jessi looked down at her feet, feeling sorry for the merc. Gerry simply nodded. "We're not equipped to transport it, but hopefully, we can retrieve his remains when... when this is all over." Jorge frowned slightly at his pause. Billy seemed to be keeping something, but that could just be the grief from his teammates' deaths. He put it out of his mind and awaited a plan of action. "Alright, listen up." Billy paced up and down in front of them. "Everything that just happened: bygones. Understand?" They all exchanged confused glances among themselves but nodded to sate the merc. "Doc, tell me again about the phones."

"Well, according to the terminal back in my lab, the marine exhibit phones are still connected to the transciever. The Visitor's Center are all that work."

"Too far away," Billy said, interrupting Sorkin's words. "Can we get to the exhibit through the tunnels?"

"They're all interconnected," she stated. "I think I can still find-"

"Good. Thanks," Billy said swiftly. "So we all have the same priorities here now. We get to this marine exhibit and find the phone. We get another chopper in the air to lift us out from there."

"How are we gonna get there?" Gerry asked. "The Troodons could still be out there."

"We aren't equipped to treat any more bites," Sorkin said. Nima hadn't brought the medical kit from the Visitor's Center, and Jorge had left his in the Jeep back by the Center.

"We also don't have much in the way of weapons, either," Jorge added.

"We may have to-"

"Shh," Billy said, glancing to the sides of the room. Sorkin had grown rather irritated with his constant interruptions.

"I will not be shushed!" she huffed.

"The door," the merc muttered, an unnerved expression on his face. Jessi placed her ear against the door she was leaning against. A clacking and scuffling could be heard on the other side. Muffled clicking and warbling could be made out. Small shadows peeked out from under the crack of the door. Jess leaned down to see two black clawed feet through the sliver. She gasped softly and shufffled quickly away from the door, hiding behind her father. The animals' calls were growing more audible and louder. Gerry's eyes wandered to the bloodied vent by the lockers. "They're coming through!" The merc slid over to the lockers and tugged on one of the locker doors hanging open. With all the force he could muster, he ripped the metal locker door off its hinges and slammed it in front of the vent opening. Billy reached for another vent door.

"Look out!" Gerry called. Billy looked down to see a grey animal with a blood red neck and inky black splotches running the course of its back. Quills ran the length of his back. The most prominent feature was the pair of big yellow eyes on its head. The dinosaur took a snap at the merc's leg. Billy pulled his leg up high and slammed the side of the locker door into the Troodon's head. The animal staggered back into the shaft, shaking its head and hissing in anger. Billy pulled down an entire locker in front of the vent. He was doing whatever he could to keep the animals back. A Troodon's head poked out of a small opening between the two locker doors Billy had ripped off. Gerry handed the merc a shovel, and Billy stabbed at the dinosaur with it. The animal backed off into the vent again, staring at him from the shadows.

A scratching sound could be heard from the door. It creaked open slowly. Gerry slammed his body into the side of the door and grasped the handle. Jorge pinned himself against the door as well.

"You hold the handle! I'll get the door!"

"How the hell do these things know how to open doors?" Gerry asked.

"Muldoon said the raptors were capable of problem solving," Jorge said. "Troodon must have that same ingenuity." Jorge looked through the window on the door and saw two Troodon dart across the corridor. The animals ran incredibly fast and were very persistent. Jorge confirmed his fears. They were being hunted. "They're going around the doors." Gerry let go of the handle. It remained motionless. A grainy hissing could be heard from a vent panel at the top of a wall. Nima climbed up a stack of crates and pushed her body into the grate. As she did, a Troodon pushed its head through only to be forcefully pushed back in. She pinned herself against the grate, using all of her might to keep them back. Her heart pounded as she stared into the large yellow eyes. The Troodon opened its long mouth to reveal jaws lined with many serrated and sharp teeth. A bite from those jaws was something to be reckoned with. Nima knew this personally. It hissed at her and tore at the grate.

"Gerry, get that grate open!" Billy shouted, pointing towards the largest one. There were no Troodon on the other side.

"I got the door, Ger!" Jorge told him, feeling the animals pushing on the door behind him. Gerry's eyes went to the lock on the ventilation grate.

"I need something to break the lock!" he said.

"Use the air tank!" Nima answered, using her boot to point at the tank rolling across the floor. The vet lifted the tank and slammed it into the lock as hard as he could. He reared the tank back and slammed the lock with it again. "I can't hold them back for much longer! Billy, help!"

"A little busy here!" the merc replied, stabbing at the dinosaurs with the shovel.

"Throw me a flare then!" she said. Billy felt a flare pinned under his boot. He grabbed one and tossed it to her. She clutched the red skinny cylinder in her hands and ripped the white cap off with her teeth. Nima forcefully dragged the flare against the side of the concrete wall, causing it to spark to life. The red light it cast made the Troodon she was keeping back shriek, its eyes not acustomed to such brightness. Nima lifted open the grate slightly and tossed it inside the shaft. The Troodon cried out and shook its head, slipping around inside the shaft.

With a loud clank, the lock snapped off and clattered to the floor. Gerry swung the grate wide open.

"Got it!" he called. "Let's go!" Jessi and Sorkin were the first two to go through. Nima and Gerry followed. Jorge and Billy looked at each other.

"Flip a coin?" the scientist joked. Billy had no time to respond as the Troodon's jaws snapped onto the head of the shovel, trying to pull it from the merc's hands. Billy kicked the reptile right in its eye and freed his shovel. The dinosaur snarled in pain. The merc's eyes darted to the valve on the heater lining the wall. He slammed his shovel on the valve, and a rush of hot scalding steam whistled out. Another slam caused an all out blast of hot steam from the tank. The Troodon cried in agony and begrudgingly retreated back into the vent shaft. Billy looked at his shovel head to see a couple teeth embedded in the metal as well as jagged cuts on it. The animal had done a huge number on it. Billy snatched up a flare real fast and skidded through the vent with Jorge in tow. Jorge stuck his fingers through the holes in the grating and shut it behind them. "Let's see you open this." Three Troodons scuttled into the room and stared at them through the grating as they booked it.


	25. Descent

Jorge's coughing echoed through the feeding room that he, Sorkin, Jess, and Billy had escaped into. They had managed to give the Troodons the slip but at the cost of being separated from Gerry and Nima.

"Dammit!" Jorge barked between coughs. "Dammit!"

"I've never seen someone cough so much from choking on their own spit," Jess said.

"It'd be a hell of a way to die," Jorge said, finally done coughing. He let out a low whistle and inhaled deeply. The four of them walked down a metal walkway that led over several tanks.

"So where are we?" Billy asked.

"What are those things?" Jess asked, glancing at the large tanks.

"Feeder tanks," Jorge stated. "We raise fish in those to feed the starring attraction down here, kinda like what they do with the killer whales at Sea World. The tanks are loaded with them." Jessica counted six large feeder tanks in the room.

"That's a lot of fish," she said. "How many whales are they feeding?"

"Well, we're not actually feeding whales, but these tanks could feed about three to four orcas a day," Sorkin said. They reached the end of the walkway before being stopped by Billy.

"Hold up," he said, his hand hovering over the door handle. "I hear something." Soft thuds resonated from the room on the other side of the door.

"More Troodons?" Jessica asked.

"I don't think so," Sorkin said. "We left them all behind."

"Could it be something else?" Billy asked.

"Doubtful," Jorge said. "This facility is so out of the way of any of the other paddocks."

"Well, something's making noise in there," Billy said. The door softly creaked open, and Billy slinked through the opening with soft footsteps. The thuds were now more audible now. They were footsteps on marble tiling. There were people in here. "All clear." Jorge, Jess, and Sorkin entered the room to find Gerry and Nima.

"Dad!" Jessi shouted with happiness. She sprinted towards him and embraced him.

"Jess! Oh, thank God!" Nima and Jorge were locked in an embrace of their own.

"Oh, thank Christ you're okay, Nima," Jorge said with relief.

"Worried?" she asked.

"What gave it away?" Jorge planted a kiss on her forehead. "You guys okay? Anyone hurt?"

"We're fine," Nima answered.

"Can we go home now, Dad?" Jess teased.

"I'm so glad you two are safe, Gerry," Sorkin said. Gerry and Sorkin shook each other's hands, glad to see each other unharmed. "How did you manage to get here?"

"We climbed out of the tunnels through a service hatch near one of the tour routes," the chief veterinarian explained. "Luckily, someone left the tour program running. Thanks." Sorkin looked bewildered.

"You mean-"

"Dr. Sorkin, the phones aren't working," Nima interrupted. "There's no dialtone. You said the phones would be working here."

"That doesn't make any sense," Jorge said, his brow furrowed. "This entire facility has two power sources: the main park's power and its own independent supply. It's clearly obvious this whole facility is fully functional. The phones should be working, too!"

" "SHOULD" is the key word here," Nima said.

"My control terminal showed me the main lines here were active," Sorkin added. "Unless..."

"Oh boy," Jorge groaned silently.

"Of course!" she said. "Everything is controlled by the computer systems. Even the phones."

"That seems like a big design flaw," Jess said.

"That and the computerized door locks," Jorge added.

"Why would you computerize locks?" the Harding girl asked.

"So people can't do things like _steal the embryos_," Jorge stated. Billy narrowed his eyes at the scientist in suspicion, but Jorge didn't catch it.

"If the power outage outlasted the battery backups, then the system is just waiting to be booted up," Sorkin said.

"And since the phone lines are connected to the main power supply and aren't connected to independent power sources, it makes sense why the phones aren't working here," Jorge concluded. "Why did they build it like this?"

"Get us to the phones, Docs," Billy spoke up. "We don't have a lot of time."

"Mr. Yoder, I refuse to be pushed around by you any longer," Sorkin said, standing up to the impatient merc. Billy, however, wasn't going to let this become a debate.

"Look, this isn't a day trip. If we don't contact InGen and get another helicopter out here for you all, the next flight over the island is gonna be a wing of B-52s carrying holy hellfire!"

"What?" Sorkin asked in genuine shock.

"That's right, Doc," Billy stated. "They're gonna murder all your precious little pets and sink this island into the Pacific."

"Hold on, now!" Jorge interjected. "On whose authority?"

"The US military," Billy answered. "Who else?"

"Dios mio!" Nima shouted. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? This is my home!" Billy looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean "your home"? I didn't tell you guys because I figured we'd be off the island by now."

"So your plan was to pocket veto that little bit of info, right?" Jorge said, growing tense.

"Don't turn your back on me, man," Billy said, glaring at the scientist. "I like you, but I won't take any of your crap."

"Isla Nublar falls under jurisdiction of the Costa Rican government," Jorge stated. "The US can't bomb this island legally. Not without upsetting our president."

"Your president?"

"Dual citizenship."

"Don't talk to me about "legalities", pal," Billy growled. "I highly doubt anything that went into making this place was "legal" in any sense."

"This island was purchased legally and through proper channels by InGen from the Costa Rican government," Jorge continued. "Cloning animals is also perfectly legal. InGen just needs a license, which we do have."

"Can you two drop the politics, please?" Gerry interrupted. "Look, Billy. This island is the ancestral home of her people-"

"Wait," Nima said, cutting off Gerry. "What is Dr. Sorkin doing?" Billy, Gerry, and Jorge turned to see Sorkin press a button on the elevator panel. The elevator doors opened, and she slipped inside.

"Laura?" Gerry asked. The elevator doors shut, and it descended. "Wait!"

"What the hell?" Jorge shouted.

"Where is she going?" Billy asked gruffly. Gerry had a look of great frustration on his face.

"I don't know," he said exasperatedly. He looked over a map of the facility placed on the center statue. The layout showed them that the elevator went down to the rotunda which housed the control room for the lagoon below them. The control room had various computers designed to regulate food distribution, water filtration, power fluctuations, and phone controls. "She's going to the phones without us!"

"Dammit! Get that elevator back up!" Billy shouted. Gerry looked over the elevator controls and fiddled with the buttons, but the elevator wasn't responding. "This is all your fault!" He pointed a finger at Jorge.

"My fault?" he yelled back.

"Yeah! Mr. "I'm Gonna See You Locked Up For Your Negligence"!"

"Okay, one: that's a stupid ass name. And two: you're the one that pointed a knife at her AND said you were gonna bomb the island!" Jessica remained calm, sitting on the edge of a small little pool in the middle of the room.

"Wow, they've really made a lot of progress in construction here," he said, looking over the little Paleozoic monolith. Jess looked up to the large surrounding teal band that lined the room. Her gaze was fixated on the dark silhouette of a mosasaur.

"What is that supposed to be?" she asked. Gerry looked up at it as well.

"I dunno," he said. "It looks like a mosasaur." Jess looked at her father with genuine confusion.

"Mosa-what?" she asked. "It looks kinda scary."

"Well, it's sort of a sea-lizard of sorts," Gerry attempted to explain. "Think of, um, maybe a big moray eel with a crocodile's head." Jess gave him an even odder look.

"Croco-eel?" she said, not sure of what to make of what her dad just told her. "Sounds charming."

"Well, don't worry," Gerry said. "There are no sea creatures on my list of park animals." Jorge looked up from examining the buttons. He looked back at Gerry with a confused look. Gerry met his gaze.

"Then what are all the feeder fish for?" she asked. Now, it was Gerry's turn to give her a confused look.

"Feeder fish?"

"Yeah," she began to explain. "We came through a big room filled with tanks of fish. Laura and Jorge said they were for feeding other animals. I think it's for whales, but Jorge and Laura said they don't have any whales." Gerry turned to look at Jorge who was still gazing at him in confusion.

"What's down there, Jorge?" he asked. Jorge was putting it together in his head.

"You weren't told?" he asked. Gerry shook his head. Jorge squinted his eyes and shook his head at Jorge, not understanding. "Why in the hell wouldn't they tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Whales didn't exist until way after the Cretaceous. We have a Tylosaurus, Ger." They all turned to meet him.

"We're housing a mosasaur right underneath our feet?" he asked. "How long had you known?"

"Me and Wu cloned it," Jorge stated.

"How'd you get the DNA?" Jess asked.

"I can imagine it would be difficult for a mosquito to suck the blood of a creature that spends its entire life underwater," Gerry said.

"Sheer dumb luck," Jorge simply said. "The carcass had been washed ashore and carried into a swamp where the mosquitoes went nuts. It was a big find in recent paleontological news. I'm still in shock that Hammond didn't tell his chief veterinarian about the Tylosaurus."

"Is it secure, at least?" Billy asked.

"The mosasaur is locked within a containment unit," Jorge explained. "It can't get out unless it were released manually through the... rotunda..."

"Oh boy..." Gerry said. The vet walked over to the information desk where his eyes landed on a red book. Inside, it contained instructions for operating the elevator. The passcodes to the elevator corresponded to the dates of the eras displayed on the monolith. He walked over to the elevator and turned the red key on the panel from "norm" to "reset" and finally to "input". The instructions required him to keep it in that setting for three seconds until the light came on. The panel light beeped with a red light. Gerry switched the key to "reset" again, and the light switched to green with a beep. "Jorge, read me off one of the dates on that monolith."

"Which one?"

"Just pick one," he said. Jorge squatted in front of the monolith and looked at all the plaques. His eyes darted between all of them, unsure of which to pick. He decided to go with Permian. He just liked the sound of the name.

"Permian Era: 299-251 BCE," he read. "That work?" Gerry pushed the numbers of the last four digits in the keypad. The panel responded with a beep. The digital readout was now blank, giving him access to make a new passcode.

"Yes, it did," Gerry said with triumph. "Let's keep the code simple this time."

"Go with 1234," Jorge said. Gerry entered it into the keypad, which the panel then locked into its system as the new code. The elevator doors slid open for them to enter. Nima looked back at the elevator, away from the small tank full of exotic fish. Her spirits were down. She felt stung by Billy's betrayal. She also felt pain for her beloved, knowing that it would kill him to have to see this island go up in smoke. They both would mourn for their island. A soft squeak caught her attention as she looked over to see Billy unscrewing the Barbasol can to inspect the embryos inside. Nima scowled at him and rushed over to his side.

"Hey!" she hissed quietly. "Don't open that! Are you crazy? Someone will see!" Billy slid the storage compartment back into the bottom of the can's outside.

"Relax," he said softly. The can clicked into place with a hiss of air.

"See what?" a soft voice piped up. The two turned to see Jessica standing behind them. Nima scowled at him.

"You careless idiot..." Jorge wasn't looking at them but was watching them from his peripheral vision. He wanted to get the Barbasol can out of their hands. The pieces were beginning to fall into place now. All he needed was an opening.

"Uh, what was that thing?" Jessi asked. "Some kind of spy gear?"

"Yeah, that's right," Billy said, taking a couple slow steps toward her. "Top secret. In fact, if you tell anyone about it, I'll have to kill you." Jessi felt very nervous and backed away a bit. Nima slinked between the both of them to keep Billy back.

"You won't lay a finger on her," she growled. Billy held his hands up and put up a cocky smile.

"I was just kidding around," he lied, covering his tracks.

"What's going on here?" Gerry asked, walking over to them. He had not been paying attention to them, focused on making sure the elevator was functioning properly in case Laura had tampered with it.

"Nothin'," Billy said nonchalantly, walking past them. "We're all cool." Jessi saw Jorge eyeing them out of the corner of her eye. He beckoned her over with two fingers. She came over to him.

"What's up with that can?" she whispered to him.

"Bad news," Jorge whispered back. "I can't explain it right now, but if you help me get it from Billy, I'll tell you everything."

"You mean steal it?" she asked silently. "I don't know. Dad won't be happy if I do."

"I'll take the heat from your old man," Jorge replied. "Trust me?" Jess thought on it for a while before nodding.

"I'll do it," she said with an eager grin. Jorge gave her a satisfied smirk and a nod. Billy was leaning against the inside of the elevator, waiting on them to answer.

"Aw, jeeze, get over it!" he groaned. He was getting impatient and wanted to get after Sorkin ASAP. "Let's go! We don't got all day!" Jorge got up from sitting on a bench and followed the rest of them into the elevator.

"What were you two talking about?" Gerry asked.

"Oh, just girl stuff," Jorge said with a dainty flick of his wrist. Nima and Gerry exchanged bewildered and slightly worried glances. Jorge slid beside Nima, giving her a knowing smirk and a wink. She was unsure of his intentions, and that made her nervous. Jorge, on the other hand, was relaxed. Not for long, however.


	26. The Rotunda

Tension was high in the elevator, with everyone inside glaring at each other with suspicion. Nima sat on the floor and glared at Billy, who was leaning against the back wall and glaring back at her and at Jorge. Gerry narrowed his eyes at the two of them. Jessica felt fishy about Billy and peered at him from the corner of her eye. Jorge was very nonchalant, tapping his fingers on his fist.

"Dad," Jessi said, shaking her head. "My ears." An automated voice came over the loudspeaker.

"What's going on?" Nima asked, rising to her feet.

"Attention, guests. The lagoon rotunda and spectacular is housed in a pressured underwater environment. We suggest you pinch your nose and push your breath to equalize your ears while you descend. If you experience any lasting discomfort or feel unusually giddy, let your attendant immediately."

"Giddy," Jorge said with a sigh. He shook his head, not being a fan of the word choice. Nima pinched her nose to deal with the air pressure. Billy shook his head at her and hid an amused smile.

"Giddy?" Gerry asked.

"They're talking about nitrogen narcosis," Jessi explained. "It's a risk of breathing pressurized air." Gerry gave her a bemused look.

"What makes you the expert?" he asked. Jessi looked down at the ground and put her hands behind her back.

"I…. uh….. saw it in a movie once…" Jorge let a small huff of air out of his nose. He didn't buy it. The rotunda came into view through the elevator door. "Whoa! Is that where we're going?"

"I think so," Gerry said. At this point, Gerry was completely out of his element. Jorge felt a huge pressure on his chest. Not an actual physical pressure but one brought on by distress. The concept of being under hundreds of gallons of water with only glass walls keeping you safe was frightening to him. It had been a while since Jorge had come down here, so he was reacclimatizing. The others stared at the large underwater rotunda with fascination. "My God. I wasn't expecting any of this."

"This is soooo cool!" Jessi said enthusiastically. The elevator doors slid open, and they all stepped out into the long glass hallway. Along the bottom edges of the glass walls were obsidian with mosasaur skeletons crafted into them.

"Careful," Billy said, stepping to the front. "I'll lead." They made their way down the hallway to the center structure.

"Cool!" Jessi said. "Look at that!" Their focus switched to the structure she was pointing at. A large steel container with a metal gate was built into the side of the rock face.

"I want to speak with Hammond," a voice echoed over the intercom. "No, this can't wait. Can you connect me to Mr. Maguire? Or-no! Peter Ludlow."

"What the hell?" Jorge asked.

"Please hurry." The group approached the large dome at the center and leaned over the rail, looking inside. An oval shaped sign above them read the green words "Next Show" in the park's signature tribal font, with a clock reading 00:45 underneath it.

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this," Gerry said in a low voice.

"Right there with you," Jorge said. Inside the dome was Laura Sorkin, speaking on the phone to an InGen representative. She paced back and forth in front of a desk with a computer, a terminal that registered activity in the water, a desk lamp, and a large fax readout that was hanging over the edge. She stopped in front of a trapezoid shaped window and stared out in the water, the seaweed flowing slowly before her. The interior of the small room was very industrial, with most of the room consisting of metal and glass. Small lights installed along the edge of the top gave a dim glow.

"No, look!" she said. "This is Dr. Laura Sorkin. I am an employee of the park. I am still on the premises. Get. Me. Somebody." Her voice was very stern and held obvious signs of annoyance. Gerry walked around the railing and descended down a small slope that led to a large metal door. It looked heavy. A circular window adorned the middle of the top, with skewed triangular shapes crafted in a lighter colored metal leading away from it, making the window seem like a sun. A smooth and cylindrical l-shaped door handle sat at the left of the door. The handle's design was a very common used on the island's facilities. "Mr. Parker, I do not NEED rescuing. I do not want the bombing "waylaid". I want it stopped." Gerry peaked through the window on the door. She was now looking down at the moon pool in the center. "What? It's not contaminated! This is a wildlife preserve. These animals are not diseased! They're extremely endangered! You're not listening to me!"

The others stood there, listening to Sorkin go on and on. Jessi's attention was turned to a large counter farther down. It had two computer screens on the left and right with the Jurassic Park logo in yellow displayed on them. In the center was a metal panel with a small button and a speaker, with an orange version of the park's logo on it. This one had a mosasaur skull in place of the tyrannosaur skeleton.

"Hey, Dad!" she called. "This looks like an intercom up here!"

"What? Where?" he asked. She waved him over. "Good find, honey." He pushed the small silver button. "Laura. It's me. Gerry. The rest of us are here, too." She didn't respond. "Laura?" She turned to look at him.

"Gerry, I hear you, and I'm glad you're here," she said. "This is gonna be a lot easier now."

"What have you been doing?" he asked. She typed some commands onto the computer.

"We're gonna stop the bombing, Gerry," she answered. "This island must be preserved." Gerry turned to Jorge.

"You have any clue what's she's talking about?" he asked. Jorge shook his head. Sorkin punched the enter key on the computer, starting up the command. Nima and Billy turned around to see the elevator doors closing.

"I have taken the remaining survivors hostage," Sorkin said into the phone. Jorge had a horribly confused look on his face.

"Hostage?"

"There are five others. Three Americans and two Costa Ricans. Gerry Harding, park veterinarian and his daughter. Jorge Michaels, park geneticist, and his girlfriend. Billy Yoder, a mercenary. I won't let them go unless the plans to bomb the island are completely rescinded."

"Son of a bitch," Jorge sighed.

"How dare you leverage us as pawns!" Gerry shouted over the loudspeaker. "We want OFF the island. Help us, or let us go!"

"You're killing independent Jorge!" Jorge shouted.

"Five people are better than one," she said with a confident smirk. "Protesting is a game of measurable attrition."

"Protest?" Gerry asked. "My God, this isn't a political maneuver! You're putting us in danger to serve your own agenda? We deserve a chance to survive!" He looked over to his daughter. "Think about Jess, Laura! This isn't something you want on your conscience!"

"I'm sorry, Gerry," Sorkin said. "I need you here." Gerry merely sighed. It was clear he couldn't make any headway with her.

"We've gotta do something," he said to the group.

"Like what?" Billy huffed. "We're stuck between two locked doors. We wouldn't be in this mess if I had killed her when I had the chance."

"Ahh, yeah. Murder would have saved us. Good job, captain." Billy glared at Jorge, who was staring out into the water.

"So you're saying it wouldn't?" he sneered.

"Who gives a shit?" Jorge said with oustretched hands. "Maybe it would've. But you know what? You didn't. All that we know now is that we're trapped under several dozen tons of water and metal with an apex superpredator out in the water that probably hasn't been fed yet!" Jorge's voice held some obvious panic in it. He closed his eyes and let out some long breaths, attempting to calm down. "Let me calm down. Let me calm down."

"We're all in the same boat, Yoder," Gerry said. "You're not helping."

"If you don't offer me some sort of guarantee that the island will be preserved, I will have to escalate matters." Jorge turned away from the water.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what?" he asked. "The hell does that mean?" Gerry and Jessi exchanged worried looks.

"This is lunacy!" Sorkin shouted. "Fine! Put the military on the phone! ….Hello?" No response. "Hello?" She turned to the computer and began furiously typing. "You wanna see contamination of the global ecosystem?"

"No no no no no," Jorge said. "What does that mean?"

"What are they saying?" Gerry asked. "Are they gonna stop the bombs?" She didn't speak to them and continued to hover over the computer. "Please tell us what they're saying!"

"Well, they've labeled me a terrorist," she replied. "That's usually how it starts."

"How'd you think they'd respond when you told them we were hostages?" Gerry asked.

"Does Kuwait ring a bell?" Jorge shouted. "Jesus, this ain't amateur hour." He let out a distressed huff and began to rub his forehead. Being down in the facility had never stressed him out like this before. Now, they were trapped.

"Laura, there are other options here," Gerry continued. "Holding us against our will to save the dinosaurs is only one poorly thought out solution." Nima and Jessi had gathered beside him. Billy and Jorge sat on the floor, leaning against the walls. "You're smarter than that, Laura!"

"I know, Gerry," she said. "I know what I'm doing. I clearly expressed the consequences of threatening this island. I scored a line in the sand that has been ignored and trampled over by InGen, by the government, and now I exercise my resolve!" She turned back to the computer once more.

"Laura?" Gerry asked. The only response was the sound of creaking metal underneath their feet.

"I'm going to free the mosasaur." Jorge leapt up from the floor and skidded to a halt beside Gerry and the others.

"WHAT?"

"Are you mad?" Gerry yelled. "A land dinosaur paddling to the mainland is one thing, but you're talking about releasing an apex predator into over seventy percent of the global ecosystem!"

"Nope! Nope! Not having it! Somebody get those doors open! We. Are. OUT!" Jorge was now incredibly distressed. It wasn't enough to be trapped in a small air pocket, but now it would be threatened by an enormous aquatic carnivorous reptile.

"It's only one," Sorkin said nonchalantly. "It can be recaptured."

"Before it eats the last of the humpbacks?" Gerry asked.

"Did you not watch Jaws?" Jorge yelled.

"Oh, don't be dramatic," she said to the two of them.

"Laura, don't!"

"Christ, I'm gonna be sick," Jorge said. His back and neck felt incredibly hot.

"Put your head between your knees," Jessi said. "Come on. Breathe."

"I'm breathin'," Jorge said. "I'm breathin'."

"In, out. In, out," she said calmly. Sorkin turned away from the computer and stared out through the glass dome into the water. The others followed her gaze. The metal gate of the large steel container that had been built into the side of the lagoon's rocks lifted open. The sound of shattering glass got their attention. Billy pushed past the lot of them, a fire axe in his clutches.

"Plan B," he said. He vaulted over the railing and landed in front of the door. He swung the axe over his head and slammed it into the door. "Stand back!" Billy followed it up with three more heavy swings into the door. With some expertly applied force, the mercenary shoved the door open. Sorkin glanced at the door as the lot of them entered.

"Sorry, Gerry," she said. "For the sake of this island and the scientific treasure it holds, I have been forced to take an action."

"It's not too late," he said. "We can reverse this."

"No," Sorkin stated. "I locked the system down. There's nothing you can do. I've opened the gates, and the mosasaur is free to leave."

"Laura, you have to-"

"No, Gerry!" she shouted back. Jorge was not paying attention to their argument. Instead, he was focused on the water around them, trying to find the Tylosaurus. He was having difficulty finding the creature, despite how large it was. "This isn't up for debate. We have to show InGen-"

"Found it!" Jorge yelled and pointed before them. Gerry and Sorkin turned to see the large marine reptile barreling towards them.

"Look out!" Gerry shouted. With no time to react, the creature slammed into the wall with enormous force. The entire rotunda shook with enough force to knock them all off their feet. Sorkin was the closest to the wall and ended up being knocked completely over the railing and into the moon pool in the center below. She scrambled to the edge and clung to the metal. Her red rimmed glasses drifted in the water. "Get out of the water!" Gerry climbed down after her but didn't make it in time. With a pained shout, Laura Sorkin was slammed into the other side of the metal wall and dragged down into the water below. A muffled rumbling was their reply.

"Dammit!" Gerry spat. "What were you thinking?" Billy made his way over to the computer.

"Alright, everybody," he said with a stern voice. "Be cool. And stay away from the window."

"Be cool?" Gerry asked loudly. Billy turned to him with an irritated grimace on his face.

"That's right," he said, the fire axe still clutched in his fist. "What? You want an "I told you so"? I don't know about you, but I came here to make a phone call." Gerry returned the displeased look Billy was giving him. Neither were inherently happy with the situation, must less each other. He picked up the blocky grey phone and dialed a number. "Hello? This is William Yoder. ID 4-1-2-2. Put me through to Haskell. Yes, sir. The US embassy. Report as follows: the island is completely overrun." He turned to face the window, trying to find the creature somewhere in the water. "Alpha team: killed in action, save one. Myself. Bravo team: killed in action. Two helicopters disabled. Two civilian causalities. I have access to a sea-worthy boat, and I will evacuate the remaining survivors." He turned to look at the others, who had gathered in front of the intercom. "Yes, sir. The military may proceed. Ninety minutes. Understood, sir." He hung up the phone and turned to the computer. A command prompt on a black windowed program was flashing. It was for the elevator. He tapped the enter key, and the doors slid open.

"Oh, thank God," Jorge said. Billy let out a sigh and went for the elevator.

"What's happening?" Gerry asked. "Who did you call?" Billy ignored them and continued for the doors. He made it halfway down the hallway, hearing their footsteps on the metal behind them.

"That's far enough," he said, stopping before them.

"What?" Gerry asked. Nima, Jessi, and Jorge were beside him, just as confused as he was.

"You're not coming with me," he said. "There's going to be a tragic accident, Gerry. Nima, we have everything we need. We're finishing this without them."

"What?" Gerry asked, turning to face Nima.

"Please tell me you didn't plan this," he said softly to her. She had a stern look on her face and walked right up to Billy.

"No," she said.

"What do you mean "no"? We've got an agreement, remember?"

"Our "agreement" doesn't involve killing the three of them," she stated.

"What's going on?" Gerry asked. Nima turned to look at them, a look of sorrow on her face.

"Tell 'em, Nima," Jorge said. She nodded. "Tell 'em what you told me." Gerry and Jess looked over at him.

"I'm sorry, Gerry," she started. "I was sent here to retrieve dinosaur embryos from InGen." Gerry began to shake his head in confusion.

"I-I don't understand," he said. "You're… you're a corporate spy?"

"Yes," she said solemnly.

"Dammit, Nima!" Gerry said. "I trusted you!"

"It's not like that!" she stressed. "Yoder took the can. He wants it for himself. I'm trying to help you and Jess-"

"What can?" Gerry asked. Jess glanced over at Jorge with a worried look on her face. Gerry and Nima weren't paying attention to them, focused on their own conversation.

"A can of shaving cream," she answered. "It has a compartment to smuggle the embryos off the island." Jorge pretended to hold a large can and shook it back and forth. He looked at her and nodded his head at Billy.

"Dammit, Nima," Billy hissed. "You're blowing it!" He couldn't get an answer. Billy had turned to face them, and they couldn't tip him off.

"No!" she said. "YOU are! Oscar put his faith in you. He may have been a devil, but he wore his sins on his arm for everyone to see. You? You are just a mask with nothing behind it."

"No, you can't do this!" Jessi shouted. She ran up to Billy and began pounding her fists on him. "Don't you care? Don't you care about Oscar or D-Caf?"

"That's enough!" he said, shoving her away. Jessi backed up to her father. "Everyone stay back. I'm gonna give you a sporting chance, here." Billy reached into his back pocket for-

"They're useless, you know." Billy looked at Jorge. "You can't use 'em."

"Is that so?" Billy asked.

"Yeah," Jorge said. "They're patented. You'd have to completely restructure the code in order to find a way to legally use 'em. Plus, you don't even know who you're selling them to. You're flying blind, Yoder."

"Well, you seem to know a lot about this, don't you?" he asked.

"When you work in my line of work, you pay attention to all that's going on. You double check your work."

"Well, in that case, you're coming with me," he said.

"What?" the other asked.

"Like hell I am!" Jorge spat. "You either take all of us, or you go piss off on the coast with your embryos you can't sell." Billy quickly strode up to Jorge and elbowed him in the side of the head.

"Jorge!" Jessi shouted, reaching for him.

"Jessi, get back!" Gerry said, pushing her back.

"Bastardo!" Nima hiss. Billy raised his axe over his head.

"Back up!" he shouted. Jorge put the glasses that had been knocked off his face back onto his head. Billy pulled him up and held him by his arm, folding it behind his back. "You're coming with me, and you're gonna help make me very rich."

"Yoder, please!" Nima said.

"Take the girl instead," Jorge said, looking at Jessi. "Save the kid."

"Sorry, but she can't exactly help me, can she?" Billy asked mockingly.

"But she has the-"

"Shut it," Billy said, punching Jorge in the side of the head. The scientist let out a pained groan. Billy pulled him back to the elevator. He removed the grenade from his pocket.

"Billy, wait-"

"Once I let go of the spoon, there ain't no comin' back," he said.

"Don't do this!" Gerry shouted. Billy dropped the grenade, which began to roll towards Gerry, Nima, and Jessi.

"You son of a bitch," Jorge said as the elevator doors closed. He pinned Jorge to the glass wall before him and reached for the can. Frantically, he began to check all of his pockets on his vest and pants. "Missing something?"

"Where is the can?" Billy asked.

"Jess has it," he said. "I tried to tell you."

"Son of a-" Billy punched the glass wall, and a loud muffled boom resounded from below them.

"She's a hell of a pickpocket, ain't she?" Jorge asked.

"You'd better hope that can survived, or I swear I'll-"

"The can and the three of them will be alright," Jorge said. He wasn't sure if he believed it, but he needed something to hold onto. "They're get outta this."

"For your sake, they better," Billy said. The elevator doors slid open, and the two of them were topside again. "So you seem to know a lot more about those embryos than Nima does."

"Yep," Jorge said, ignoring the pain Billy was administering onto the arm tucked behind his back. "I know every single species in that can, the purity of the DNA, and even who wants them."

"Who would be interested in that can?" Billy asked.

"BioSyn," was Jorge's answer.

"Never heard of them."

"Their InGen's less successful rival."

"Great," Billy said. "More scenarios like this."

"If BioSyn gets those embryos, it'll be much worse than this," Jorge said.

"What would you know?" Billy asked.

"You're a mercenary, right?" he asked. "Like Oscar. I remember seeing him on this island when the natives were being relocated. Much younger. Had a shorter beard."

"Get to the point," Billy growled.

"You ever worked in Chile?" Jorge asked.

"Well, yeah," Billy said. "Me and Oscar were sent there to help evacuate villagers after a huge outbreak of rabies took over the area."

"BioSyn's work," Jorge huffed.

"Say what?" Billy asked, with noticeable anger in his voice.

"Yeah," Jorge said. "Lewis Dodgson. Head of research over at BioSyn. Spearheaded the whole damn thing. Introduced it to a bunch of Chilean farmers without them knowing it. Didn't see a single day of jail time."

"And you think InGen is any better?" Billy asked.

"What we do here is completely legal," Jorge stated.

"What about those Trodo things?"

"Troodon. And that was all Sorkin's doing. Independent research wrongfully using company sources. InGen is much more ethical than BioSyn. They'll try to use those embryos to make little pet dinosaurs for the kids and not grasp the fact that they're making dangerous wild animals and just throwing them to the public. Besides, the DNA's not even pure."

"What do you mean?"

"It's been spliced together with frog DNA," Jorge explained. "We didn't have enough time to fill in the holes in the codes, so the higher-ups wanted us to use frog DNA. These animals aren't genetically pure."

"So this park would house fake dinosaurs?" Billy asked.

"Temporarily," Jorge said. "Until the genome could be completed to one hundred percent. Then they'd all be replaced. But you're still gonna turn those embryos into BioSyn, aren't you?" He didn't receive an answer. "That's what I thought."

"Who cares?" Billy said. "Money is money. And, as an added bonus, I think I'll deliver you to them as well."

"You honestly think I'd work for BioSyn?" Jorge asked.

"I don't think you have a choice at this point, pal."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Jorge felt conflicted. He didn't want Billy or BioSyn to get their hands on those embryos. But he didn't want Gerry, Jessi, and Nima to bite the dust either. He'd have to follow his own words and wait to see what happens.


	27. Escape

Billy and Jorge had trekked from the Marine Facility to the North Dock. There was a boat docked at port that was to allow him and Nima to escape. He would wait at the docks as long as he could for the three of them to show. If they did, he'd take the can and Jorge to BioSyn. If not, he'd leave Jorge to face the oncoming airstrike. They waited around by the entrance to the docks for them to arrive. To their right was an electric fence with a large tribal gate serving as an entrance to the docks. They had ninety minutes before the airstrike would commence. They had been there for about an hour now. There was still about half an hour before the planes came, but Billy was getting impatient.

"You said they'd make it," he said.

"I said I'd HOPE they'd make it," Jorge said. He was still holding out for them to show, but time was not on their side.

"For your sake, you'd better hope they survived," Billy warned. "Otherwise, you're staying here."

"And you end up with no embryos, no friends, and no money," Jorge said. Billy scoffed at him. Their attention was brought to the sounds of voices coming from the cave. Jorge stood up and saw Gerry, Jessi, and Nima all emerge from the cave. "I'll be damned."

"Jorge!" Jessi shouted. She ran towards him and embraced him tightly. Jorge picked her up and held her tight. "You're okay!"

"I could say the same about you, kiddo," he said. His attention was pulled away from her as Nima pulled him in for a kiss. A very passionate one. Jorge found himself struggling for breath after that. Gerry came trotting after them, a smile on his face. Jorge was so happy to see them all safe and sound that he had completely forgotten about Billy. A loud thud quickly reminded him as he saw a wooden club make contact with the back of Gerry's head.

"Well, well, well," Billy bragged. "Fortune smiles among the brave."

"Dad!" Jessi shouted. Gerry had fallen to the ground, the club by his side. Jessi inspected his head for any damage. No blood, thankfully.

"I thought I'd worked everything out," he continued. "I hadn't accounted for our little thief here. Well played, Jess. Well played. But then I was sure I had buried my ticket off this island at the bottom of the sea. But lo and behold. You slippery sons of bitches survived. Good idea waiting for them, Jorge. This really worked out for us."

"Piss off," Jorge spat. "You'll regret everything if you killed Gerry."

"Ahh, he's fine," Billy said. "Wait. Did you guys swim out of there?"

"You bastard," Nima growled, balling her fists. "What will your bosses think when they learn that you tried to murder us?"

"They won't learn about that," Billy said. "Because, one way or another, you're not gonna tell them." The mercenary sighed. "I just don't know how we got to this point, Nima. You were the last one of my kind I thought I could trust."

"YOUR kind?" Jorge asked.

"Things didn't start out that way, but we had worked out a mutually beneficial deal!" he yelled in her face. "But now, I don't even have that. All that's left for me is that damn canister. Hand it over, missy." Jorge looked at her and shook his head. A loud crack rang out from Nima's fist as she planted a punch right in the middle of Billy's forehead. He shook his head and cracked his knuckles. "Nice one. Almost hurt." Nima reached into her backpack and removed the Barbasol can.

"You lookin' for this?" she asked mockingly.

"You know, things don't have to be this way," Billy said. The two were in fighting stances, ready to duke it out. "We'll kiss and make up. And share this payout, just as we planned."

"The only man I plan on kissing is Jorge," Nima said. "You talk too much, Yoder. Are we gonna fight or have boring conversation?" Billy slid towards her and threw out several strong punches. Nima zipped left and right of them, staying low to the ground. Billy took a step back in surprise. He wasn't anywhere near Oscar's level of hand-to-hand combat, but he could more and hold his own. "You're pretty good." The two began to circle each other, arms still raised and fists still clenched. "Come on, Nima. You're a merc just like me. You got bills to pay. Are those three really worth all this?"

"It's not about the money anymore," she said. "I'm not gonna let you hurt these people. Now, shut up and fight!" Nima took a quick jab at the mercenary, which he swatted away with ease. He reared back and struck her in the jaw twice with both fists. Billy took a swift kick to her stomach, driving her knee deep into her abdomen. Nima had the wind kicked right out of her, and she staggered in place. Billy removed the knife from his back pocket and clutched it in right hand, ready to cut her good. A loud crack rang out when the same wooden club used to take out Gerry made contact with the back of Billy's head. Jorge took another swipe at Billy, who ducked under it and swung his fist up into the scientist's jaw. Jorge cried out and fell to the ground. Billy raised his knife into the air and prepared to stab Jorge square in the chest. Nima tackled the merc, and the two went tumbling into the dust.

The two rose to their feet, with Billy swiping his knife at Nima. She slapped his hand away and jabbed at his chest. Billy retaliated with a punch to her shoulder which sent her staggering. He swiped at her again. This time, he ended up cutting her on her arm. Jorge leapt onto Billy's back like a raptor and bit the back of his neck. Billy cried out in agony and turned around, trying to get him. Nima swung her fist forward, accidentally catching it on Jorge. He fell to the ground again, nursing his brow.

"Sorry, sweetie!" Nima called out. Billy grabbed Nima by the arm and threw her towards the electric fence. He swung the knife up and tried to jab it down into her, but Nima caught his wrist. Billy was pushing down on her with his weight, trying to back her into the fence. Nima was pushing back on him, trying to twist his wrist and take the knife. The two were locked in a struggle of attrition, trying to overpower the other. Nima managed to push him back. Billy stabbed at her, which she dodged. She pushed his head into one of the rods of the electric fence. It sparked and singed his forehead, causing him to cry out in pain and fall on the ground. The knife slid from his grasp and clattered to the ground. Billy tripped Nima on his way down, causing her to land on her side. The can popped from her backpack and rolled onto the ground.

Gerry finally came to, nursing the back of his head. Jessi helped him to his feet, but he fell back on the ground. Jorge slid for the scan and clutched it in his fist.

"Nailed it," he said, looking at the can in satisfaction. Billy was the first to his feet and landed a punch square in the back of his head. He fell to the ground but keeps hold of the can. Jorge let out a groan, the concrete being hot on his face. His eyes widened when he felt the ground shake. A faint thud could be heard in the distance. There was another thud which shook the ground. "Impact tremor." Jessi helped her dad to his feet.

"Jess, do you feel that?" he asked her. Jessi remembered what causes those thuds on the island.

"Oh my God," she said. "STOP!" Billy pulls Nima up, rearing his fist back.

"So you wanna play the hero?" he asked. "You wanna make new friends?"

"Yoder!" Jessi yelled. A large reptilian foot smashed into the ground behind them. Billy slowly turned his head to look behind him. Standing in front of the tribal extrance was the female Tyrannosaurus. A low rumbling came from the back of its throat as it looked around. The five of them were very still and quiet. Jorge stood as still as he could, trying not to shake from fear. The large animal pointed its snout at Jessi, sniffing her. The young girl winced in fear, hoping it would leave her alone. Gerry and Billy peered at each other, glancing over to the can at his feet.

"Jorge," Nima whispered. "Why isn't it attacking us?" The kept sniffing around for them but didn't seem to be able to see them.

"Frog DNA," he said with a grin. He looked down at the can sitting between his feet. He looked back up at them and then over to Billy. The merc glared at him and shook his head slowly. Jorge casually and softly whistled a tune before kicking the can. The Barbasol can began to roll away from them and towards the water. The dinosaur then turned its attention to the can, temporarily distracted. Billy saw the can rolling towards the water and out of Billy's hands forever.

He couldn't risk losing it and sprinted for the can. He hit the ground and reached for the can. His fingers skimmed the surface of the water as he grabbed the can. "Yes!" A warm wave of air washed over his back. The merc winced in fear and turned to the animal behind him. With a mighty bellow, the Tyrannosaurus snapped up the merc in its jaws and bit down. Alpha team was officially no more. The dinosaur shook the body violently in its jaws, and the can flew out of the body's hands and clattered onto the ground before the others. Before it came to a complete stop, Nima swiped it up. The animal was too preoccupied with swinging around the body to deal with them. It had its back to them, leaving an opening for them to escape into the docks.

"Now! Go! Run!" Gerry shouted. Jessi, Nima, and Jorge followed him through the docks. The animal swallowed the body whole and then turned to see the four of them running away. With a snarl, it turned and stomped towards them. They found themselves backed against a staircase leading up to a tower. "The skywalk! Go!" Nima and Jessi took the stairs up to the skywalk. The skywalk was an elevated walkway built along towers to make overseeing, checking storage, and navigating the docks easier. Jorge held the door open for Jorge and waved for him to come in. "Keep going!"

"What about you?" Jorge asked.

"I'll keep the Rex distracted," he said. "You watch my daughter!"

"I won't let you down, captain!" Jorge said. Gerry began to shout at the dinosaur and waved his arms.

"Hey! Hey! Over here! C'mon! Come get me!" The dinosaur's attention shifted from the three on the skywalk to Gerry. The Rex roared at him, and Gerry ran through the maze of shipping containers. The dinosaur hit its head on the skywalk, causing it to crack. Jessi lost her balance and slipped. She was holding onto the railing, trying not to fall. Nima and Jorge slid and hit the wall. The can fell out of her hands and clattered onto the ground below.

"Hold on, sweetie!" Jorge said, sidling down the railing. He dangled his leg beside her. "Grab on and climb up!" She grabbed hold of his leg and began to climb up onto his back. "Hold on, Jess!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly. The brid crumbled farther down, far enough to prevent Jorge from climbing back up. Jess was screaming and holding onto Jorge's throat, threatening to choke him into unconsciousness. "Sweetie. You're. Choking. Me!" Jorge's voice was very hoarse from Jess squeezing his neck so hard. The tyrannosaur turns to face the two dangling from the edge.

"Help!" Jess shouted. "Nima!" Her eyes darted between the can on the ground and the two people dangling from the rail. The Rex took a single step towards them, ready to chomp the both of them. Nima climbed over to the two of them, determined to save them.

"Get her first!" Jorge said. Jess reached her hand out to Nima.

"I got you!" she said as she pulled her up to safety. Jess ran for the safety of the inside of the tower. Nima grabbed Jorge by the back of his shirt and pulled him up. He stumbled to safety inside the tower with Nima. The tyrannosaur approached the tower and stepped onto the Barbasol can, crushing it and the embryos within under its foot. Gerry peaked out from behind a green shipping container he was using to hide. The dinosaur was pushing against the tower, trying to force the three out of it. Gerry spotted a thick branch lying on the ground next to him. He lifted it up and ran towards the dinosaur, smacking the branch into the back of its leg. The tyrannosaur growled in anger and snapped at him, just barely missing him.

"Hey! Over here! Hey! C'mon!" The veterinarian continued to shout at the large predator. It began to charge after him, snapping at his heels. Gerry made a break for the shipping containers, skidding to a half before a branching path. The containers made a sort of maze. There was a path before him and one to his left. He made a break for the left and skidded to a half before a path that branched out into three different paths. The dinosaur was stalking around the outside, trying to find a large enough entrance. Gerry sidled through a small opening between two containers and continued running through them all. A right turn brought him to a dead end.

Gerry turned around to try another route but was cornered when the Tyrannosaurus burst through a crowd of containers. The dinosaur pushes through the containers, causing some of them to tumble down. A dinosaur cage hangs precariously off the edge. The pushes farther through, and the cage begins to spiral down towards Gerry. He dives for safety and just narrowly manages to avoid being crushed by the cage. However, he had become trapped in a narrow tunnel. The veterinarian climbs onto the front of the age and attempts to pull up on top of it, but a large burst of force knocks him off of the cage. The animals pushed the cage towards him, trying to get to its meal. Gerry backed farther away from the cage, scanning the edges of the shipping containers for some way to climb up but to no avail. The cage is pushed closer to him, the metal giving out a loud screech as it scraped the metal walls. The tyrannosaur slammed against it once more, pushing it closer towards Gerry. With this push, the cage door flew open. The cage door smacked against the side of the wall. Gerry used the openings in the metal to climb on top of the cage and jumped on top of a shipping container. The pushes the cage farther away from him, giving him enough space to get to the container. It takes a snap at him but narrowly misses. The dinosaur slams its head into the side of the container, sending it tipping towards the ground. Gerry leaps to the grey one across from him but only catches the edge. The vet is dangling over the edge, and the blue container begins to slide towards him. Mustering enough strength, he climbs to the top and narrowly avoids having his head crushed between two heavy metallic masses.

Gerry looks to his left and sees a red shipping container within jumping range. He sprints for it, determined to make the jump. The tyrannosaur's head bursts between the opening and trips up the vet. Gerry stumbled to his feet and ran for a blue shipping container right across. The dinosaur slammed its head into the blue container, trying to shake Gerry off. The force made him fall onto another red container beside him. The Tyrannosaurus completely tipped the container over and pushed it out of its way. It made its way for the container Gerry had fallen onto. The beast pushed the container, trying to tip Gerry off once more. The father's eyes saw a dinosaur cage sitting on top of a container across from him, the gate wide open. The Tyrannosaurus lifted the container up into the air, causing Gerry to slide down. With a well time jumped, he leapt onto the container across from him and ran into the cage. The Rex pushed its head into the cage, trying to snap at him. The animal's head was too large and was unable to force its way down any farther. The lifted its head into the air, the cage stuck around it. Gerry was clinging to the walls of the cage, doing his best to avoid falling into the maw of the beast. With an irritated snarl, the dinosaur began wildly swinging its head from side to side trying to get the cage off. After a minute of shaking, the cage flew off the dinosaur's head and went flying through the docks. It tumbled onto the ground and finally stopped on its side.

Gerry held his side, finding it rather battered from being tossed through the air like a ragdoll. He crawled out of the cage and stood up, his legs shaking like crazy. He could hear the rumbling in the dinosaur's throat behind him. Gerry turned to see the dinosaur locked behind a large red gate. It backed up a ways and then charged the gate, which burst open with the loud screech of metal. The sound of footsteps on concrete was replaced with that of wood. He was sprinting on the boardwalk towards a boat docked farther down. He could see Nima, Jorge, and Jess on it.

"Dad!" she shouted, waving him to her.

"Jess!" he shouted. "Start the boat!" The large Tyrannosaurus was hot on his heels, its enormous footsteps causing the wood to creak and moan. Jorge pulled the cord on the motor, but it failed to start up.

"Come on, you shit!" he shouted. He pulled it once more but received the same result. "Dammit!" With all the strength he could muster, he pulled the cord back incredibly far and let it go. It hit the motor with a loud clank, which was then followed up with a loud humming. "Go! Go!" Nima steered the boat forward, keeping it parallel to the dock. Gerry's entire body was coursing with pain and exhaustion, but he could not stop now. Not yet. "Come on, buddy boy! You're near the home stretch!" The end of the boardwalk came into sight, with nothing but open water before him. With one last burst of energy, Gerry jumped. He came crashing onto the floor of the boat, which veered off from the boardwalk and out for the open water. The Tyrannosaurus stopped dead in its tracks and watched the boat grow smaller and smaller on the horizon. It roared in frustration at them, its tail thrashing back and forth in anger.

Jess helped her father to his feet. He clutched his side in pain and sat on one of the seats in the boat.

"I've never been so tired in my life," he said. "I can't believe we made it."

"What now, Dad?" Jess asked, sitting down beside her father. "I guess you're kinda out of a job."

"Heh. That's alright," he said. "I quit. No more dinosaurs for me. I think I'll try to get my old job back at the Dallas Zoo. Elephants are a little more my speed, lately." Jess's face lit up.

"You're coming back to Dallas?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"Why not?" Gerry said with a smile. "Think it's a good idea?"

"If you're serious," she said smiling. It would be nice to have her dad back.

"Alright, then," Gerry replied. "Dallas it is." He got up and went to see Nima, who was manning the helm. She kept an eye on the horizon, the glow of the sun warming her face.

"We got a hundred and twenty miles of open water between us and the mainland," she told him. "We've at least got enough gas to make the trip." She kept focused on the horizon, trying to avoid letting any signs of worry show. She was glad to see them all in one piece, but without the embryos, her entire trip amounted to nothing.

"Hey," Gerry said, interrupting her thoughts. "Believe me. The whole world is better off without that can."

"Guys?" Jess called.

"Not me, Gerry," she said softly. "Not my daughter."

"Guys?" Jess called again.

"Nima, I made a promise," Gerry said. "I'll figure something out. Come back to Dallas with us. We'll find a way to get you and your Mariquita to-"

"GUYS!" Jess shouted. Nima and Gerry turned to see her standing over an opened metal container. "How much did you say those embryos were worth?" Inside the container was a large leather bag with bundled stacks of hundred dollar bills.

"Oh my goodness," Gerry said. Nima let out an energetic trill.

"Look at that beautiful cold hard cash!" she shouted.

"And it's all yours, Nima," Gerry said with a smile.

"Help me count it, Jess," she said, kneeling down beside the young girl. "I'll find a way to repay you for all this, Gerry."

"That's not necessary, Nima," he said. "I was just glad to help a friend."

"Wow, look at all this!" Jess said. "You're set for life, Nima!"

"You, Jorge, and Atlanta can live without worry," Gerry said. "Right, Jorge?" He didn't receive any sort of answer. "…Jorge?" He turned around to see Jorge sitting on the back edge of the boat, staring at the fading silhouette of Nublar. He hadn't said a single word, cracked a single joke, or anything. This had been the quietest he had ever been around them.

"Dad, is he okay?" Jess asked quietly. "What's wrong?"

"I think I know," Gerry said. Jess walked slowly over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, looks like Nima didn't need to steal those embryos after all," she said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Jorge said. "I guess." He didn't even look at her but just kept staring at the island.

"Jorge, I know this can't be easy for you," she said softly. "I'm sure Jurassic Park would've been the best park ever it things worked out."

"You think so?"

"Yeah." Her reply did seem genuine, which brought a slight smile to Jorge's face.

"I'm sure gonna miss it, Jess," he said. "All that hard work gone. Had it been for nothing?" He was quiet for a while, the questions he had asked himself spinning in his head. "And all those people. Billy, Oscar, David, Nedry, Sorkin..."

"It's not your fault," Jess said. "You're a good person, Jorge. You were just dealt a bad hand. Like Nima."

Nima. Her name brought his attention away from the horizon. He looked back at her smiling face. Smiling at him. He took in the sight of her, just standing there. It had been so long since they parted. August 6, 1985, when dinosaur cloning had kicked into full gear. Today was June 14, 1993. Eight years. He was thirty one years old, having left at twenty three. Nima was only a year behind him. Had it really been so long, he thought to himself? After their argument, the two went their separate ways. Jorge was unsure whether or not he'd see her again. Yet here she was. They weren't fighting. Weren't running for their lives. Weren't even shagging. They just were. Just to see her there, after all this, was like some sort of warm blanked enveloped his body. He turned around to look back at where Nublar was. It had disappeared from view completely, its silhouette swallowed up by the ocean.

"Yeah," he said, looking away from the ocean. "You're right." He looked back at them all and smiled.

"What are you gonna do now that Jurassic Park is done?" Nima asked. Jorge hadn't necessarily thought of that. All their work had been to make sure the park was a success. Now that the park was done for, what was to become of Sorna? What was to become of his dinosaurs?

"Well," Jorge said earnestly. "Guess we'll just have to evolve."

"Your parents would be proud of you, Jorge," Nima said. "Of your dinosaurs and how you helped us."

"I hope so," he replied. He reached into his pocket and held onto the green dinosaur toy inside. "Well, we still have Site B. Thank God."

"Site B?" Jess asked.


	28. Parting Ways

Jorge felt like he hadn't rested in years. He sat his head on the back of his chair, his entire body still and sore. Nima rested her head on his shoulders, her soft breaths no louder than a whisper. To stay awake, Jorge would glance down at her cleavage. It was quite effective. Gerry and Jess exited the other room and approached the two. After escaping from Nublar and making it to the mainland, InGen had sent agents over to retrieve them and bring them to one of their facilities. Hammond was waiting there for them, uttering nearly a thousand apologies. His nephew, Peter Ludlow, had them all sign nondisclosure agreements to protect InGen's image and cover up the Isla Nublar incident. To buy their silence, each of them was given a quarter of a million. Nima wanted to see InGen collapse into the ground, but if she went against them, they would ultimately bury her. Not only was she involved in a case of corporate espionage but had illegally trespassed onto Nublar. Her criminal record wouldn't aid her, either.

"Mr. Hammond will see you now," Ludlow said, his voice dripping with contempt.

"Very well," Jorge said. Nima lifted her head off of his shoulder and gave him a kiss before he entered Hammond's office. The room was lined with rich mahogany, flooring and furniture. A full bookshelf lined the left side of the back wall. A large painting hung over his desk. Hammond sat at his desk, wearing a business suit. His white beard was the most colorful thing in the entire room. The old man smiled at Jorge, shaking his hand.

"You look exhausted, my dear boy," he said. Jorge let out an amused huff of air through his nose.

"I don't look nearly as bad as I feel," he replied.

"Please, have a seat." Jorge sat down at the chair in front of the desk. Hammond was looking over several files on his desk, black lines marking out several lines on the papers. "I won't lie. Jurassic Park has suffered a dramatic setback. And it's all my fault. My greed and lack of foresight. Led to so many wrongs." The old man sighed. "I should've listened to you and Dr. Sorkin."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, sir," Jorge said. Hammond was at fault for many of the failings of the park, but he couldn't let this feeble old man beat himself up. "There were…. other factors."

"Like what?" Hammond asked. Jorge leaned towards him.

"Nedry," he stated. The scientist told Hammond about BioSyn and Nedry's sabotaging of the system. The entire plan of espionage was something Hammond had not planned on.

"BioSyn," he said. "I should've known they'd have their fingers in our pie." Hammond sighed. "As for Nedry, I should've seen that coming. As brilliant as he was, he was a weak link. Still… maybe I should've paid him what he wanted."

"Wouldn't have helped," Jorge said. "Nedry was the type of guy who was never satisfied. Greedy. He'd just want more and more."

"Perhaps," Hammond said. "Even so, a damn shame about his death. Nedry, Muldoon, Gennaro, Arnold."

"Oh, God," Jorge said. Donald Gennaro had been their legal representative for years. He had met the man on occasion. He was married and had a daughter. Muldoon and Arnold had families as well. The thought of them grieving, their deaths being covered up. It did little to ease his aching body. "I hate to say, but we have more to add to the list." His voice was dead in tone. Hammond was silent before asking.

"How many more?" Jorge swallowed.

"Dr. Sorkin. The mercs Oscar Morales and Billy Yoder. David Banks. All deceased." Hammond lowered his head, staring down at the wooden table solemnly. "This wasn't how it was supposed to be."

"It rarely goes to plan," Hammond said. "Jorge, I need to ask. Where do you stand?"

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"I suppose you know that Dr. Harding will not be coming back," he said. "Going home to his family. Personally, I can't blame him. Dr. Wu plans on returning. What about you, Jorge?" Jorge sighed and cracked his neck. "If you wish to leave, I'll let you go."

"These dinosaurs are my life," he said. "I'm here until the end." Hammond nodded.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said.

"What sort of game plan do we have?" Jorge asked. "What happens to Sorna? And Nublar, for that matter?"

"Nublar is a more complicated matter," Hammond said. "The board is debating on what to do with it. We have two game plans: strip the island bare and recover our losses, or have the United States military continue with the napalm bombing." Jorge nearly leapt from his seat at the latter.

"That's absolutely out of the question," he stated sternly. "The US has no authority on that island. It belongs to Costa Rica. That's a potential act of war, even if we are allies."

"Settle down, my boy," Hammond said, holding his hands up. "No need to push politics on me. It's far from a potential reality. The US government is trying everything in their power to get Nublar bombed, but the Costa Rican government is adamant in their stance against the bombing." Jorge slouched down in his seat and sighed with relief.

"Thank God," he whispered. After catching his breath, he sat up straight. "Which leaves us left with stripping the island. What does that entail?"

"InGen will send in select peoples to recover technology and data from the island," Hammond said. "The dinosaurs, however, will be euthanized." Jorge glanced down at his feet after hearing those words. It pained him to hear that these rare creatures would be senselessly slaughtered. Hammond recognized the look on his face. "I know. I feel the same way."

"The only comfort here is that Sorna still has multitudes of dinosaurs," he said. "And 100% genetically pure, too."

"Precisely," Hammond said. "See the positive."

"So what happens to Nublar after the tech is stripped and the dinos are killed?" Jorge asked.

"It goes right back to Costa Rica," Hammond said. "As for what they're do with it, I couldn't say."

"Maybe Nima's tribe can go back home," Jorge muttered to himself. He doubted it after saying it. Too much of the island had been altered. "So we've got a game plan for Nublar." Hammond nodded. "What happens to Sorna?" Hammond sighed.

"As of right now, InGen's dinosaur theme park plans are on indefinite hiatus," the old man said. "However, they still want to research the dinosaur populations on the island. How different they are genetically, aesthetically, and behaviorally compared to the impure Nublar specimens. Sorna is in no danger of being shut down as of now."

"I'm honestly kind of surprised that things are going so well," Jorge said. "I mean, we'll be paying out the ass, but the US is off our backs. And Sorna is in the clear. How the hell did you manage that?" Hammond beamed with pride.

"The one and only George Baselton," he stated. Jorge looked at Hammond, not understanding.

"Never heard of him," he said.

"One of his biggest accomplishments was his work with BioSyn," Hammond explained. "It's thanks to him that they still hold favor with the public." A frown creased Jorge's face.

"And we hired him to save Sorna's bacon."

"I understand that you may have some reservations on-"

"He worked for BioSyn," Jorge stated.

"Merely doing his job," Hammond replied.

"BioSyn."

"Even so, he was hired for strictly PR reasons," Hammond said. "Here is the same principle." Jorge sighed. He looked back up at Hammond.

"How have things been on Sorna since my departure?"

"Quite well," Hammond replied. "Our specimens are growing at top rates and coming along nicely. Dr. Corts has proven herself to be quite capable in your absence."

"I can't wait to go back."

"How prepared are you to leave?"

"Immediately."

* * *

><p>"You're sure you wanna do this?"<p>

"Gerry, I need this," Jorge said. "InGen gave me purpose again. And those dinosaurs need to be researched and protected."

"I still can't believe there's a whole other island of them," Jess said.

"Couldn't do all the work right there," Jorge joked. Nima placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I can't convince you to just abandon this and come home?" she asked, her eyes glistening.

"Please don't ask me to do that," he pleaded. "You know I care about you and Atlanta a lot. But this…. this is my life. My dream come true. Even if the dream has done…. some harm."

"Some?" Nima mused.

"What do you want from me?" Nima rested her forehead on his chest.

"I won't ask you to give this up," she said. "I understand full and well what this means to you. Be your own man, and follow your dreams. I just hope that I'll still be in your dreams as well."

"With a body like that, why wouldn't you be?" he teased with a wink.

"I'll say," Nima teased back. "You were staring down my shirt so much back there, I thought you were gonna drool all over them." Jorge's cheeks grew red.

"You caught me?"

"You're not as stealthy as you think you are, Mr. Man," she cooed, going in for a kiss. The two locked lips and held each other tight.

"Oh, gross," Jess said, pretending to gag.

"You'll understand when you're older, kid," Jorge said, breaking off the kiss. Gerry shot him a look. "….But not for a long, LONG time." Jess rolled her eyes at him.

"Sure you wouldn't prefer lions and elephants?" Gerry asked. "I could get you a job working with me back in Texas." Jorge chuckled.

"One time, that would've sounded so adventurous," Jorge said. "But after all I've done and seen, it would just seem so mundane."

"Sometimes, mundane isn't so bad," Gerry joked. The two laughed and then shook hands. "I'm gonna miss you, pal."

"Back at you," Jorge replied. "I'll swing by the Dallas Zoo one day while you're working. Me and you can go out to a bar. Drinks on me, of course." Jess cleared her throat. "You can come too. But you're nonalcoholic, got it?" Jess ran in for a hug, squeezing his torso tight.

"Please be careful," she pleaded softly. Jorge gently patted her head.

"Don't worry about me, kiddo," he said. "I know what I'm doing. You be good for your dad. No smoking and no shoplifting. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," she said with a smile, tears dotting the edges of her eyes.

"Come on, now," Jorge said, using his thumb to smear them away. "Dry those eyes. This isn't goodbye forever. I'm coming back. No dino's getting me." Jess merely nodded.

"Take care of yourself out there," Gerry said.

"You too, pal," Jorge replied. Gerry and Jess walked together, out of the building and into the sunlight of the outside. Nima wrapped her arm around his waist and held him tight. "And you, little lady. Promise me that there will be no more espionage and no more trouble with the law."

"I'll still be protesting unnecessary land development and pollution here," she said. "But no more going to jail. I'm gonna be there for Atlanta and give her the home she deserves." She buried her head into his neck. "And give you something to come back to."

"That's my girl," he said, kissing her soft lips. The two stood together, holding each other close. Jorge peaked over her shoulder and spotted her reflection in the mirror, her back shown to him. The olive cargo pants she wore hugged her curvy bum rather tightly. He firmly groped each of her cheeks, which earned him a slap.

"That's all you men think of," she teased.

"With an ass like that, can you blame me?" Jorge teased in return. Nima suppressed a laugh and merely shook her head.

"How the hell did I ever end up having sex with you?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Because I'm decently sized, not too heavy, and willing to try out all your kinky ideas?" He winked.

"Love didn't have anything to do with it?" she asked.

"Well, maybe a little." Jorge playfully kissed her on the nose, getting a giggle out of her. His calm demeanor then faded. "Nima, I… I gotta ask you something. But you don't have to answer." She seemed confused by his words.

"Speak your mind, babe," she said. Jorge let the right words form in his head before gulping them down.

"Was there… another guy while I was gone?" he asked. "Or… maybe a girl?" Nima gave him a flat expression. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, you're your own woman, and I was out of the picture."

"There wasn't anyone else," she said, kissing his cheek. "And I happen to like men." Nima's calm demeanor faded as well. "And… you?"

"The dinosaurs wouldn't make good bedfellows," Jorge joked.

"Come on," she said. "There had to be some female employees there."

"None like you, babe," Jorge said. "Plus, employee dating is just really awkward. Everyone knows you're doing it, and then they start asking questions. You know how it goes." Nima laughed, having missed his jokes for so long.

"What brought this on?" she asked. Jorge rubbed the back of his neck, his ears turning a little pink.

"It's been eight years," he said. "We just came back into each other's lives so suddenly. I wanted to know if I was ruining anything. You know I'm not that type of guy."

"You're not ruining anything," she whispered into his ear. Shudders went down his spine.

"Thank God," he said. Nima looked down at his waist, an amused smirk on her face.

"Really?" she asked with a laugh. Jorge's face grew red.

"Hey, you've got the golden touch," he joked. She hugged him tightly, her bosom pushing into his chest. "God, it's been way too long. We gotta make up for lost time."

"What about your flight?" she asked. "I don't want you to be late." As much as she wanted to scratch her itch, she didn't want to mess things up for Jorge so early on in their rekindled romance.

"Hammond says we won't be heading back to Sorna for two hours," Jorge said. "Which means we got time to kill."

"Oh, I dunno," Nima said coyly, a finger to her lips.

"Aww, come on," Jorge said. "There's a hotel three blocks down from here. Tucked out of the way. I'll pay for our room, and you can put the money from that leather bag in my underwear."

"God, I missed you," she said as she grabbed him by his shirt collar. Nima pulled him out of the building, with Jorge sporting an excited grin on his face.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay, back in business with my JP story. Been a bit overdue with continuing this story, but I've been playing a lot of Zoo Tycoon 2(lots of dino mods installed) and have been reading up on Jurassic World. Gotta say that it sounds really good (even though I don't think that highly of the D. Rex concept.) If the JW trilogy ends up being a worthy successor to the JP trilogy, you may end up seeing a sequel fanfic to this.<strong>


	29. Back In the Saddle

Jorge stood on the south dock, having just arrived on Sorna. It was an odd case of déjà vu, taking the same boat to the same dock from all those years ago. Those were more innocent days. Days that Jorge missed, but he took comfort in the advancements made with InGen's modern dinosaur research. The scientist couldn't wait to get back to studying the animals with Wu. Dr. Corts would be a bit challenging to get used to after being away from her so long. Then again, it took some time adjusting to her when he was first recruited. A Jeep was sitting on the dirt road, waiting for him. Just like last time. A man with red hair with matching five o'clock shadow and a baseball cap on his head gave him a short smile and a nod.

"Ed!" Jorge called, swiftly trotting towards the Jeep. He went around the front and climbed into the passenger seat. The two shook hands firmly. "I'll be damned, you son of a bitch. You look good! Little round around the edges, though." Jorge playfully patted Ed's stomach with the back of his hand.

"Well, we're not all lucky enough to spend the whole day running from dinosaurs," Ed joked.

"That's one hell of a definition of "luck" you got there." The two laughed. Ed revved up the engine, and the Jeep sped up the dirt trail. Jorge tugged at the white shirt under his khaki shirt, pulling it over the hickey Nima had left from before he left. Ed handed him a bottle of water. "Oh, thank God." Jorge twisted the cap off and chugged it down. "The AC on the ship was busted."

"You surprised?" Ed asked. "The Anne B is old as dirt."

"I've seen some pretty fresh dirt," Jorge said. Ed laughed and slapped him on the shoulder firmly.

"Dammit, I've missed you," he said. "This place could use a little life."

"Let me guess," Jorge said. "Dr. Corts been giving you trouble?"

"Little Miss Ice Queen has been up my ass since day one," Ed said with malice. "I have to put down everything I do and leave the workers high and dry to chauffer her around."

"Around where?"

"That lab out west."

"The Embryonics place?" Ed nodded. The Embryonics Lab had been an important location in Sorna's early days. The fight to eradicate the DX epidemic had taken place there as well as originally being the main genetics lab. After Hammond repurposed hatcheries and made them into cloning labs on Nublar, the lab received less attention as most of the major geneticists were on Nublar. Even before Jorge left for Nublar, he was aware of how understaffed the lab was. It had basically been operated with a skeleton crew. Those that remained behind on Sorna were being put to work at either the Operations Center in Burroughs or the Administrative Complex at the base of Mount Watson. In the end, the Embryonics Lab was abandoned, put on the back burner to be dealt with later. "What the hell's she doing out there?"

"When Hammond made her Chief Geneticist on Sorna, she just decided to do whatever the hell she wanted," Ed explained. "Her and that troll Primo do God knows what out there."

"Primo?" Jorge asked.

"Her whipping boy," Ed said. "Apparently, his ancestors used to live here. Between you and me, I just think he's nuts. Corts hired him as her personal assistant because he does manual labor for cheap." Jorge found this quite curious. Long before InGen had purchased the island, Sorna had been home to an ancient Maya civilization. They ultimately disappeared, leaving only a small temple behind. Sorkin had wanted Hammond to bring in some anthropologists to study the ruins, but he didn't want them finding out about the dinosaurs. In the 1860s, a coffee plantation had been established on the east side of the island. The plantation owner would kidnap Native Americans from the States as well as Costa Ricans and traffic them to the island to work as his slaves. Like the Maya, the plantation owner and his slaves disappeared completely. There were no bodies ever found. Jorge had never been satisfied with the lackluster information the Costa Rican government had on Sorna. Perhaps Primo could shed some light on this mystery. Or it was completely possible that he was just nuts.

"Does anybody even know what she does out there?" Jorge asked. Ed shook his head.

"Not a one," he said. "Not even Jane, and it's her damn job!"

"Working boys don't tell you anything?"

"They never go out there," Ed said. "Won't call them in to work on anything. It's just her and Primo."

"Damn," Jorge said. "And I thought it was a skeleton crew before I left."

"Oddly enough, it was just recently that she started hanging out full time down there," Ed said. "Before that, she would make the occasional trip but wouldn't stay long."

"Feeling nostalgic?" Jorge asked, which earned a scoff from Ed.

"Doubtful," he said. "She doesn't seem like the type of woman to get caught up in that stuff." Jorge pinched Ed's collar and smirked.

"Still rocking the pink polo?" Jorge asked with a laugh.

"It's standard uniform," Ed said, hiding his own smirk.

"Hey, man," Jorge said as he put his hands behind his head. "If you can rock a pink polo, you're a real man." The two continued to talk and jest amongst themselves while the Jeep rolled onward to Burroughs.

* * *

><p>Jorge winced with a grin as Jane hugged him tightly, her armed around him like a vice grip. Ed was leaning against the wall with his arms folded watching them. She had pounced upon him the second they entered the Operations Center.<p>

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" she proclaimed with joy.

"Easy, easy," Jorge said as he patted her. "I made it out a-okay." She let go of him, tears forming slightly.

"When we heard about what happened at the park, we were so worried," she said sniffling slightly. "So many people were hurt, but it's so good to know some of you made it."

"I didn't mean to stress you guys out," Jorge said, resting his hands on her shoulders. "None of us expected what happened at the park. I pray that things will be a lot better here."

"How nice of you to join us, Mr. Michaels," a voice said lowly. Jorge, Ed, and Jane looked to the other side of the room and saw a woman in a lab coat slink out from the elevator. Underneath her lab coat, she wore a lime green shirt and long khakis. Jorge sighed silently at the sight of her.

"Hello, Dr. Corts," he said flatly. Corts didn't bat an eyelash at his obvious enthusiasm. "It will be good to work alongside you."

"Under me," Corts said. "Because of the unfortunate incident at Nublar, Dr. Wu has decided to step down as lead geneticist, and the board has promoted me in his place."

"Henry stepped down?" Jorge frowned at the prospect of his friend not returning.

"The old guard is changing, Mr. Michaels," Corts said. "We've had many a change in staff since the Nublar incident. You would do well to keep up, unless you wish to be replaced."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jorge asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I expect to see you report to the lab early tomorrow morning," Corts said as she made her way to the adjacent hallway from them. She didn't even look back at Jorge as she spoke. With her leave came the absence of any good will, all of it having been sucked out with her arrival. Jorge looked over to Ed who was still leaning against the wall. He shrugged at him.

"Told you."


End file.
